Giant osteochondroma of axis in a child with multiple hereditary exostoses

Abstract

Though osteochondromas are the most common benign bone tumour, their spinal involvement is less frequent. We report a case of osteochondroma in a 5-year-old female child with multiple hereditary exostoses that originated from posterior elements of C2 vertebra, not involving spinal canal and caused restriction of neck movement. It was excised from its base without disturbing the continuity of lamina. Two years later she had normal neck movements without any recurrence. The rarity of this tumour at this location, with such a large size at an early age, makes this article unique.

Cervical Myelopathy Caused by Disc Herniation at the Segment of Existing Osteochondroma in a Patient with Hereditary Multiple Exostoses

“…In 1907, Ochsner and Rothstein [ 11 ] reported the first case of cervical myelopathy in a patient with HME. To date, there have been more than fifty reported cases of cervical involvement with HME; Lotfinia et al [ 1 ] presented a literature review with 48 summarized cases in 2010 [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Almost all of the reported cases underwent decompression surgery with tumor resection due to cervical myelopathy, or radiculopathy caused by spinal cord or nerve root compression of the intraspinal osteochondroma.…”

“…HME is a benign hereditary disorder characterized by multiple osteochondromas usually affecting the metaphysical regions of long bones; osteochondromas arise occasionally in the spine. Although cervical spinal cord compression due to intraspinal osteochondroma in HME is a rare condition, there have been more than fifty reported cases of cervical involvement of HME, including 48 cases summarized as a review of literature by Lotfinia et al [ 1 ] in 2010 [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. However, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no previous reports of cervical spinal cord compression caused by disc herniation and intraspinal osteochondroma at the same segment in a patient with HME.…”