TY - JOUR
T1 - Case Report
T2 - Multilevel Ossification of the Ligamentum Flavum in a Patient With Spinal Osteoblastoma
AU - Montgomery, Canada T.
AU - Miranda, Stephen P.
AU - Nelson, Ernest
AU - Louka, Katie
AU - Nasrallah, MacLean
AU - Zhang, Paul J.
AU - Stein, Joel
AU - Petrov, Dmitriy
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 Montgomery, Miranda, Nelson, Louka, Nasrallah, Zhang, Stein and Petrov.
PY - 2022/6/29
Y1 - 2022/6/29
N2 - Introduction: Spinal osteoblastomas are primary benign bone tumors most commonly presenting as diffuse back pain in young adults. Rarely, spinal osteoblastoma is associated with ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF), a form of ectopic bone formation, which can present with myelopathy. This report highlights a unique case of a patient with spinal osteoblastoma, associated OLF, and thoracic myelopathy. Case Description: The patient presented with subtle myelopathy consisting of mid-thoracic back pain, paresthesias, and gait instability. Imaging findings were suggestive of spinal osteoblastoma with multifocal OLF. The patient was consented for thoracic decompression and stabilization at the T6-10 levels. Histopathology confirmed osteoblastoma with associated OLF. At follow up, the patient’s neurological symptoms had completely resolved. Conclusion: This case describes management for a rare presentation of osteoblastoma with associated OLF and myelopathy. Surgeons should be wary of disproportionate neurological compromise when spinal osteoblastoma is associated with OLF. Further study is required to elucidate the pathogenesis of this condition.
AB - Introduction: Spinal osteoblastomas are primary benign bone tumors most commonly presenting as diffuse back pain in young adults. Rarely, spinal osteoblastoma is associated with ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF), a form of ectopic bone formation, which can present with myelopathy. This report highlights a unique case of a patient with spinal osteoblastoma, associated OLF, and thoracic myelopathy. Case Description: The patient presented with subtle myelopathy consisting of mid-thoracic back pain, paresthesias, and gait instability. Imaging findings were suggestive of spinal osteoblastoma with multifocal OLF. The patient was consented for thoracic decompression and stabilization at the T6-10 levels. Histopathology confirmed osteoblastoma with associated OLF. At follow up, the patient’s neurological symptoms had completely resolved. Conclusion: This case describes management for a rare presentation of osteoblastoma with associated OLF and myelopathy. Surgeons should be wary of disproportionate neurological compromise when spinal osteoblastoma is associated with OLF. Further study is required to elucidate the pathogenesis of this condition.
KW - myelopathy
KW - neurological compromise
KW - neurosurgery
KW - ossification of the ligamentum flavum
KW - spinal osteoblastoma
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85134162802&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fsurg.2022.890965
DO - 10.3389/fsurg.2022.890965
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85134162802
SN - 2296-875X
VL - 9
JO - Frontiers in Surgery
JF - Frontiers in Surgery
M1 - 890965
ER -