Aneurysmal bone cyst of the cervicodorsal spine

A 23-year-old woman with paraparesis and bladder atonia of one week's duration demonstrated lytic destruction of the anterior elements of C7, D1, and D2, with gibbus deformity at C7. The tumor was excised in August 1975 through an anterior approach and the cervical spine was reconstructed with a five-level, fibular strut bone graft. Several weeks later a posterior fusion was performed. The patient was placed in a halo jacket for three months, at which time solid fusion was achieved. The final pathologic diagnosis was aneurysmal bone cyst. The patient obtained full neurologic recovery after surgery and has had no sequelae or recurrence to date. Involvement of several adjacent cervical vertebrae by an aneurysmal bone cyst is unusual, and a comparable case is rarely reported.