[Vertebral body exocytosis and spinal cord compression]

Osteochondroma is a cartilaginous tumor, the most common benign tumor of bone. It may involve solitary or multiple exostoses (or osteochondromatosis) usually in hereditary multiple exostosis. The authors report a case of 13-year-old girl with a family history of hereditary multiples exostoses who presented with bilateral sciatica and cauda equina compression. The MRI showed a tumor of the L1 vertebral body. After surgery, pathologic specimens revealed the lesion to be an osteochondroma. Involvement of the vertebral column has been estimated from 1.3 to 4%. Spinal cord compression is rare. CT provides the analysis of the components of the tumor and clearly demonstrates it's intracanalar extension. MRI is superior in visualizing spinal cord compression. The prognosis is favorable after a surgical decompression.