Muscle metastases of bronchopulmonary cancer are rare, notably when they are revealing. They can affect all muscles of the body with a predominance of psoas, diaphragmatic and para-vertebral muscles. We report a case of psoas muscle metastasis revealing bronchopulmonary cancer in a 40-year-old patient with a long history of smoking (30 packs of cigarettes/year) presenting a chronic left low back pain with asthenia and weight loss (15 kg/year). The clinical examination was unremarkable. An abdominal computed tomography scan showing a retroperitoneal mass at the expense of the left psoas muscle, lysing the L2 vertebral and left pedicle with intraspinal extension. A complement by cervico-thoracic computed tomography scan showed a lung mass with hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. A scan-guided biopsy puncture of the psoas muscle mass identified its metastatic origin. The clinical picture is often deceptive leading to diagnostic and therapeutic delay, hence the interest of the imagery as well as histological confirmation is recommended.

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a condition of abnormal calcification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, mostly found in men, the elderly, and Asian patients, hence the name Japanese disease. The cervical spine area is the most typical location (75%), but can also affect the thoracic (15%) or lumbar (10%) spine. The spinal cord can be compressed by this lesion, which can cause neurological deficits. The treatment of choice for patients with symptomatic OPLL is surgery to relieve spinal cord compression. We report an exceptional case of lumbar ossification of the OPLL in a Moroccan patient.

No abstract