Sacral tumours: postoperative clinical and radiological outcomes

ABSTRACT

In this study, we report the clinical and radiological outcomes of patients with sacral masses. Ten patients presented to Neurosurgery Department in Kasr EI-Einy Hospital from January 2006 -December 2008 with sacral masses. Surgical resection using posterior approach with or without spinopelvic fixation by using Modified Galveston Technique if the sacroiliac joints are involved more than 50% by the tumour. The pathological diagnosis was giant cell tumour in 2 cases, aneurysmal bone cyst in 3 cases, chordoma 3 cases and neurofibroma in 2 cases. Total resection was done in 9 cases [90%]. Low back and leg pain recovered well in 8 cases while remained for about 5 months in the 2 cases with giant cell tumours in which there were instability and fixation was used but fusion did not happen except after 6 months. Sphincteric disturbance recovered after 3 months in 4 cases [40%], 3 of them were aneurysmal bone cyst and one case of neurofibroma. The surgical management of sacral tumours requires partial or total sacrectomy and spinopelvic reconstruction. These lesions present a great surgical challenge because most spine surgeons are unfamiliar with the techniques required for these procedures