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Complete segmental resection of the spine, including the spinal cord, for telangiectatic osteosarcoma: a report of 2
Hideki Murakami1, Katsuro Tomita, Norio Kawahara
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. hmuraka@med.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
Study Design:
Two case reports of telangiectatic osteosarcoma treated with complete segmental resection of the spine, including the spinal cord.
Objectives:
To report the en bloc tumor excision, including the spinal cord, for telangiectatic osteosarcoma, and discuss the indication of cord transection and influence after cutting the spinal cord.
Summary Of Background Data:
To our knowledge, there are no previous reports describing telangiectatic osteosarcoma of the spine and the subsequent en bloc excision of the spine, including the spinal cord.
Methods:
The clinical and radiographic presentations of 2 cases with telangiectatic osteosarcoma are presented. Because these 2 cases already had complete paralysis for at least 1 month, it was suspected that there was no possibility of recovering spinal cord function. Complete segmental spinal resection (total en bloc spondylectomy) was performed. At that level, the spinal cord was also cut and resected.
Results:
En bloc excision of the tumor with a wide margin was achieved in both cases. In the resected specimen, the nerve cells in the spinal cord had lapsed into degenerative necrosis. The pathologic findings showed that there was no hope for recovery of spinal cord function.
Conclusion:
En bloc spinal resection, including the spinal cord, is an operation allowed when there is no hope for recovery of spinal cord function. This surgery should be accepted as an option in spine tumor surgeries.