Benign osteoblastoma of the cervical vertebra

A 31-year-old patient, with a relatively uncommon benign osteoblastoma of the sixth cervical vertebra, exhibited symptoms of spinal cord compression. Computed tomographic metrizamide myelography was very useful in the preoperative planning, particularly for locating the position and extent of the lesion. The tumor was totally removed via posterior and anterior approaches in a two-stage operation. Roentgenograms, taken 1 year and 6 months postoperatively, showed good bony union with no evidence of tumor recurrence.