Intraosseous neurilemmoma of L2 vertebra--a case report

Intraosseous neurilemmoma (schwannoma) is a rare bone tumor with incidence less than 0.2% of all primary bone tumors. It is a benign neoplasm arising from the schwann cells of the nerve sheath. When they occur, they are usually found in the mandible. This paper reports an unusual occurrence of intraosseous neurilemmoma in L2 vertebral body. This patient presented with complaints of backache and progressively increasing weakness in both lower limbs. Roetengenograms showed an osteolytic lesion of L2 vertebra localized in the left half of the body and pedicle. Computed tomograph revealed a large soft tissue component of the tumor mass with thecal sac compression. A computed tomograph assisted needle biopsy revealed the tumor to be neurilemmoma. Subsequently, during decompression, it was possible to shell out tumor from surrounding tissues. Remaining tumor was curettedfrom bone and the cavity packed with autograft. The recovery was uneventful with incorporation of graft. The aim of this article is to highlight intraosseous neurilemmoma as a possible differential diagnosis in bony tumors. Intraosseous neurilemmoma of lumbar vertebrae is an extremely rare occurrence and till date only four cases are reported in English literature.