Cervical Radiculopathy from Spinal Melorheostosis: A Case Report and a Review of the Literature

Abstract

Cervical radiculopathy is caused by mechanical compression and subsequent inflammation of a cervical nerve root and is usually caused by soft disc herniation. Melorheostosis is a rare connective tissue disease causing overgrowth of cortical bone. We describe a rare presentation of melorheostosis and its successful surgical treatment. A 59-year-old woman with persistent neck pain and radiating pain to the left arm of duration 3 months visited our out-patient clinic. On neurologic examination, the patient showed left C7 dermatome hypoesthesia. Her symptoms did not respond to medication or physical therapy, and thus, biopsy and surgery were performed under suspicion of melorheostosis. Persistent pain was relieved and the histologic examination was consistent with melorheostosis. Spine melorheostosis is rare but symptoms such as pain are responsive to surgery.