Lotfinia I, Vahedi P, Gavame M, Vahedi A,
Volume 68, Issue 10 (1-2011)
Abstract
Background: Osteochondroma is a common tumor of the skeletal bone and is a common benign
tumor of the bone constitutes 10-15% of all and 20-50%
of the benign bone tumors. The lesion is an exophytic bony protrusion covered
by a cartilaginous cap. It is most commonly found in long bones, and especially
at the epiphysis. Nearly 40% of cases are seen
around the knee joint. Osteochondroma rarely affect skull bones, occurrence of
an intracranial osteochondroma is a rarity in the neurosurgical literature and
only anecdotal reports are available in the literature. To our knowledge no
case arising from foramen magnum has been reported.
Case
presentation: We present a 73
years old male with gait problem and limb paresis. Imaging
investigation showed a bony mass in the foramen magnum, that compresses neural
elements. The patient also complained of persistent headache in his
occipitocervical region. There was no history of previous trauma. The patient
underwent surgery and histopathological examination confirmed the lesion to be
osteochondroma.
Conclusion: Many
types of lesion may be seen in foramen magnum area, and in differential
diagnosis of such lesion rare, osseous tumors such as osteochondroma should be
considered.
