Abstract
STUDY DESIGN
Second published report of a patient with amyloidoma of the upper cervical spine.
OBJECTIVES
To describe a patient with rare radiculopathy to alert other physicians to consider amyloid tumor as a differential diagnosis of locally destructive spine lesions.
SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA
Localized amyloid tumor of the bone is a rare disease. Only seven cases of spine involvement have been reported. Appropriate tissue sampling is required to establish the diagnosis. Histopathologic examination shows pathognomonic apple-green birefringence under polarized light. When bone is involved with amyloid, it is most commonly associated with multiple myeloma or other plasma cell-dyscrasias.
METHOD
This case was described, and pertinent literature was reviewed.
RESULTS
The patient showed persistent neurologic improvement after transoral complete tumor removal, followed by a secondary posterior stabilization procedure using transarticular C1-C2 screws.
CONCLUSIONS
Amyloidomas are benign lesions with no associated documented risk for the development of plasmocytoma-related diseases. The clinical and radiographic manifestations of this lesion are nonspecific. A cure is possible with complete resection of the tumor and no adjuvant management procedures.
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