- Department of Neurosurgery, Hassan II Teaching Hospital, University Medical School Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Fez, Morocco
Correspondence Address:
Oualid Mohammed Hmamouche, Department of Neurosurgery, CHU Hassan II, Fes, Morocco.
DOI:10.25259/SNI_322_2023
Copyright: © 2025 Surgical Neurology International This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, transform, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.How to cite this article: Oualid Mohammed Hmamouche, Faycal Lakhdar, Marouane Hammoud, Mohammed Benzagmout, Khalid Chakour, Mohammed El Faiz Chaoui. Successful total en bloc resection of a lumbar vertebra for a giant cell tumor: A case report. 11-Apr-2025;16:134
How to cite this URL: Oualid Mohammed Hmamouche, Faycal Lakhdar, Marouane Hammoud, Mohammed Benzagmout, Khalid Chakour, Mohammed El Faiz Chaoui. Successful total en bloc resection of a lumbar vertebra for a giant cell tumor: A case report. 11-Apr-2025;16:134. Available from: https://surgicalneurologyint.com/?post_type=surgicalint_articles&p=13493
Abstract
BackgroundGiant cell tumor (GCT) is a benign neoplasm that most commonly arises in the long bones; when these tumors rarely present as primary spinal bone tumors, they may exhibit local aggressive behavior, warranting extensive surgical resection.
Case DescriptionAn 11-year-old female presented with lower back, radicular pain, and paraparesis. The magnetic resonance imaging showed an L5 tumor with an extension into the spinal canal. Total en bloc spondylectomy of the L5, vertebra revealed a GCT. Postoperatively, the patient did well for 3 months.
ConclusionGCTs of bone are aggressive benign bone tumors that rarely involve the spine. Gross total surgical excision is the treatment of choice for these lesions that exhibit high local recurrence rates.
Keywords: Giant cell tumor, Lumbar spine, Total en bloc spondylectomy
INTRODUCTION
Giant cell tumors (GCTs) comprise just 5% of all primary bone tumors in adults. They most commonly affect the appendicular skeleton, with only 2–4% found in the spine,[
CASE REPORT
An 11-year-old female presented with lower back pain and paraparesis (i.e., 3/5 motor function). Lumbar magnetic resonance and computed tomography studies revealed an osteolytic L5 lesion, resulting in vertebral collapse and extending into the anterior spinal canal. This resulted in thecal sac compression but sparing of the posterior elements [
Operative procedure
Using a standard midline posterior approach, an en bloc resection of the entire posterior elements of the L5 vertebra was completed followed by a transpedicular corpectomy of L5 (i.e., including osteotomes). This was followed by vertebral body replacement with a titanium mesh cage inserted into the corpectomy site and by posterior stabilization with pedicle screws/rods (i.e., L3, L4 above, and S1 below) [
DISCUSSION
GCTs of the spine are rare and usually involve the sacrum. Although typically benign,[
CONCLUSION
GCTs involving the spine are rare and typically involve the sacrum. Gross total tumor resection is the treatment of choice, but there is still a relatively high risk of local recurrence, usually necessitating accompanying adjunctive radiotherapy.
Ethical approval
Institutional Review Board approval is not required.
Declaration of patient consent
The authors certify that they have obtained all appropriate patient consent.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
Use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technology for manuscript preparation
The authors confirm that there was no use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technology for assisting in the writing or editing of the manuscript and no images were manipulated using AI.
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Journal or its management. The information contained in this article should not be considered to be medical advice; patients should consult their own physicians for advice as to their specific medical needs.
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