A Rare Extradural Spinal Meningioma with Nocturnal Chest Pain: A Case Report

STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVES: To report a rare case of a spinal extradural meningioma in a patient with longstanding nonspecific thoracic nocturnal pain. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Meningioma is a frequent intradural extramedullary tumor that is associated with pain, sensory/motor deficits, and sphincter weakness. Spinal meningiomas most commonly occur in the thoracic spine, although they can also be found at other locations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 65-year-old woman first visited the cardiac and gastrointestinal departments of our institution due to chest pain 2 years previously. No explanation for the complaint could be found in the heart or other organs. On a computed tomography scan of the thorax, a spinal mass was found a few months before the diagnosis. On magnetic resonance imaging, an extramedullary and extradural mass was observed at T7/8. RESULTS: We performed surgery and found an extradural spinal meningioma upon the histological diagnosis. Postoperatively, the patient could adequately move both legs and feet and the nocturnal chest pain disappeared after surgery without any complications. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness of the rarity and nonspecific symptoms of extradural spinal meningiomas will be beneficial for their accurate diagnosis and proper treatment.

Spine radiosurgery for the local treatment of spine metastases: Intensity-modulated radiotherapy, image guidance, clinical aspects and future directions

Many cancer patients will develop spinal metastases. Local control is important for preventing neurologic compromise and to relieve pain. Stereotactic body radiotherapy or spinal radiosurgery is a new radiation therapy technique for spinal metastasis that can deliver a high dose of radiation to a tumor while minimizing the radiation delivered to healthy, neighboring tissues. This treatment is based on intensity-modulated radiotherapy, image guidance and rigid immobilization. Spinal radiosurgery is an increasingly utilized treatment method that improves local control and pain relief after delivering ablative doses of radiation. Here, we present a review highlighting the use of spinal radiosurgery for the treatment of metastatic tumors of the spine. The data used in the review were collected from both published studies and ongoing trials. We found that spinal radiosurgery is safe and provides excellent tumor control (up to 94% local control) and pain relief (up to 96%), independent of histology. Extensive data regarding clinical outcomes are available; however, this information has primarily been generated from retrospective and nonrandomized prospective series. Currently, two randomized trials are enrolling patients to study clinical applications of fractionation schedules spinal Radiosurgery. Additionally, a phase I clinical trial is being conducted to assess the safety of concurrent stereotactic body radiotherapy and ipilimumab for spinal metastases. Clinical trials to refine clinical indications and dose fractionation are ongoing. The concomitant use of targeted agents may produce better outcomes in the future.

The Role of Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Metastasis to the Spine

OBJECTIVE: The incidence and prevalence of spinal metastases are increasing, and although the role of radiation therapy in the treatment of metastatic tumors of the spine has been well established, the same cannot be said about the role of stereotactic radiosurgery. Herein, the authors present a systematic review regarding the value of spinal stereotactic radiosurgery in the management of spinal metastasis. METHODS: A systematic literature search for stereotactic radiosurgery of spinal metastases was undertaken. Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Education (GRADE) working group criteria was used to evaluate the qualities of study datasets. RESULTS: Thirty-one studies met the study inclusion criteria. Twenty-three studies were of low quality, and 8 were of very low quality according to the GRADE criteria. Stereotactic radiosurgery was reported to be highly effective in reducing pain, regardless of prior treatment. The overall local control rate was approximately 90%. Additional asymptomatic lesions may be treated by stereotactic radiosurgery to avoid further irradiation of neural elements and further bone-marrow suppression. Stereotactic radiosurgery may be preferred in previously irradiated patients when considering the radiation tolerance of the spinal cord. Furthermore, residual tumors after surgery can be safely treated by stereotactic radiosurgery, which decreases the likelihood of repeat surgery and accompanying surgical morbidities. Encompassing one vertebral body above and below the involved vertebrae is unnecessary. Complications associated with stereotactic radiosurgery are generally self-limited and mild. CONCLUSION: In the management of spinal metastasis, stereotactic radiosurgery appears to provide high rates of tumor control, regardless of histologic diagnosis, and can be used in previously irradiated patients. However, the quality of literature available on the subject is not sufficient.

Surgical Treatment of Spine Tumors Part 1 : Surgical Treatment of Primary Spine Tmors: Review of 45 Cases / 대한정형외과학회잡지

Forty-five patients with primary neoplasm of the spine, disgnosed and operated at Dept. of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, from 1970 to 1988, were reviewed in an attempt to analyze the incidence of the primary spine tumors and effectiveness of surgical treatment. Mean follow-up was 2.5 years. Among 29 benign tumors, 7 cases of osteoid osteoma, 6 cases of giant cell tumor, 4 cases of osteoblastoma and aneurysmal bone cyst, and 2 cases of fibrous dysplasia and osteochondroma, and others were identified. Of 16 malignant tumors, 6 cases of eosinophilic granuloms, 4 cases of chordoma, 3 cases of solitary plasmacytoms, and others were noted. 17 cases occurred in the anterior compartment, 18 cases in the posterior compartment, and 10 cases involved both compartments. Surgical treatment consisted of complete or near complete excision, decompression, and additional stabilization procedure when the stability of the vertebral column was compromised. Stablization was achieved either by fusion, strut bone graft, or by additional Zielke, Cotrel-Dubousset, or Luque-Harringtion instrumentation. The results were astisfactory in most of the cases with benign tumors except cases of giant cell tumor. The results in malignant tumor were satisfactory especially in eosinophilic granuloma and solitary plasmacytoma with respects to symptoms and survival, and this fact was attaibuted to good response to adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Recent application of Cotrol-Dubousset or Zielke instrumentation after agressive resection made early ambulation a clinical reality.