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©2013 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
Complete recovery of severe tetraparesis after excision of large C1-osteochondroma
Essam A Elgamal, Neurosurgery Department, Mafraq Hospital, Abu Dhabi 2951, United Arab Emirates
Author contributions: Elgamal EA solely contributed to this manuscript.
Correspondence to: Essam A Elgamal, FRCS (SN), Consultant Pediatric Neurosurgeon, Neurosurgery Department, Mafraq Hospital, Abu Dhabi 2951, United Arab Emirates. eelgamal@mafraqhospital.ae
Telephone: +97-12-5012417 Fax: +97-12-5011833
Received: March 21, 2013
Revised: April 17, 2013
Accepted: May 7, 2013
Published online: September 28, 2013
Revised: April 17, 2013
Accepted: May 7, 2013
Published online: September 28, 2013
Core Tip
Core tip: Solitary cervical spine osteochondroma affects C1, whereas multiple exostoses involve C2 more. Osteochondroma usually originates from the posterior element, and continues to grow slowly until puberty. It appears in computed tomography as an extradural mass, and spinal cord changes are better seen in magnetic resonance imaging. The author highlighted this case of a child with multiple exostoses arising from the posterior arch of C1 and a smaller one at the spinous process of C7, because the associated severe neurological symptoms are more pronounced than reported previously, and adequate decompression by total excision was associated with significant neurological recovery.