A case of intradural osteosarcoma of the spine

Abstract

Background context: Intradural-extramedullary spinal tumors and extradural osteosarcomas are both rare entities. Only one case of primary intradural-extramedullary osteosarcoma of the spine has been previously reported. This is the second reported case.

Purpose: To describe a case of primary intradural-extramedullary osteosarcoma of the spine associated with rapid clinical deterioration.

Study design: Case report of a 70-year-old woman who presented with a constellation of neurologic symptoms.

Methods: Review of patient files, radiographic studies, surgical images, histopathology, and relevant literature.

Results: The patient underwent tumor debulking but exhibited rapid, postsurgical, functional deterioration and died within 6 weeks. This case and the only previous case of its kind both occurred in individuals with a remote history of iophendylate (Myodil) myelogram.

Conclusions: Primary intradural-extramedullary extraosseous osteosarcoma of the spine is an exceedingly rare entity with no established management approach. Iophendylate myelography may be implicated in the etiology of this tumor type.

Keywords: Intradural tumors; Myelography; Osteosarcoma; Spinal tumors.