Solitary Spinal Osteochondroma Presenting as a Neck Mass: Case Report.

Kim, Se Hoon; Chung, Yong Gu; Cho, Tai Hyoung; Chae, Yang Seok; Suh, Jung Keun; Lee, Ki Chan; Lee, Hoon Kap

Case Report

Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society 1998;27(4): 523-529.

Se Hoon Kim, Yong Gu Chung, Tai Hyoung Cho, Yang Seok Chae, Jung Keun Suh, Ki Chan Lee, Hoon Kap Lee

¹Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
²Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.

ABSTRACT

Osteochondroma, also known as osteocartilaginous exostosis or simply exostosis, comprises about 8.5% of all primary bone tumors and about 36% of those that are benign. Osteochondromas affect mostly the long bones; only 3% of solitary osteochondromas originate in the spine, while a solitary lesion in the cervical spine is distinctly rare. We present a case of osteochondroma of the upper cervical spine, presenting as a posterior neck mass. Although rare, spinal osteochondromas should be considered in the differential diagnosis of neck masses, and surgical treatment should be undertaken to correct secondary pain, disability, neurologic deficits, or cosmetic deformities.

Key Words: Osteochondroma; Cervical spine; Neck mass