Dumbbell-type juvenile xanthogranuloma in the cervical spine of an adult

Case of compressive myelopathy due to juvenile xanthogranuloma of cervicothoracic junction in a 28-year-old male

Background

Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a proliferative disorder of non-Langerhans histiocytes. The lesions typically occur in children as solitary cutaneous lesions, but are only rarely found in adults in their late twenties to thirties. Approximately 5-10% of JXG are extracutaneous in location, with spinal JXG being only rarely encountered. Here, we described a 28-year-old male with an extradural spinal JXG resulting in severe C6- T1 spinal cord compression and a progressive quadriparesis that warranted a decompressive laminectomy/C6-T2 fusion.

Case Description

A 28-year-old male presented with a progressive quadriparesis of 12 months' duration that rapidly worsened over the last 3 months. When the MRI revealed severe cord epidural C6-T1 cord compression, the patient successfully underwent a C6-T1 laminectomy for gross total tumor excision followed by a C6-T2 instrumented fusion. The histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of a spinal JXG.

Conclusion

Spinal JXGs in adults are only rarely encountered and should be treated with gross total tumor excision with/without fusion to achieve the best long-term outcomes.

Primary Intraosseous Xanthogranuloma in Adult Cervical Spine: A Case Report of Benign Cause of Lytic Bone Lesion

Lytic lesions in adult spine are a common manifestation of aggressive disease such as primary bone tumor, metastasis, myeloma, or infectious pathology. Xanthoma arising in the spine with purely intraosseous component is an extremely rare occurrence with only six cases reported in the adult population, none in the cervical region. We report the first case of primary xanthoma of the cervical spine in a 50-year-old male solely confined to osseous compartment. The imaging mimics of lytic lesion with expansile mass in adult spine are reiterated.

A novel fixation technique using anterior C1 screw in a pediatric solitary cervical spinal juvenile xanthogranuloma

PURPOSE

Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) presenting as solitary vertebral body lesion is infrequently seen and usually limited to one or two levels. We report a case of an isolated JXG with extensive cervical spinal (bony and extradural) involvement in a 6-year-old child. There was a diagnostic dilemma as the radiologic and intraoperative picture resembled tuberculosis. The spinal reconstruction was also challenging due to involvement of multiple vertebral levels and necessitated an anterior C1 screw.

METHODS

The lytic lesion was multicompartmental, involving the craniovertebral junction and the subaxial spine (till C6 vertebral body) and extending into the retropharyngeal space. Noticeably, an associated thoracic syringomyelia was also present. Near-total excision of the lesion and 360° spinal fixation was performed using fibular strut graft. The graft was cranially anchored to the C1 anterior arch, thereby sharing the load with the posterior occipito-cervical instrumentation in order to avoid a construct failure due to cantilever effect.

RESULTS

At 12-month follow-up, the patient had good clinico-radiologic outcome with evidence of bony fusion and resolution of syrinx.

CONCLUSION

The report highlights the diagnostic dilemma of JXG lesion on both the radiology and surgery and discusses the challenges in the management and the relevant literature. The described technique can be a viable option in pediatric tumors with extensive C2 vertebral body involvement. Occasionally, extradural compression can have associated syrinx formation and the primary treatment per se could tackle the underlying syringomyelia.

Solitary Intraspinal Juvenile Xanthogranuloma in an Infant

Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a benign, non-Langerhans cell histiocytic proliferative disorder. We report a case of solitary JXG in an infant presenting as an intraspinal mass. Awareness of this mode of presentation is very important as subsequent prognosis differs from other tumors at the same location. JXG is a self-limiting dermatologic disorder usually occurring in first two decades of life. On rare occasion, it has been reported at extra-cutaneous sites such as central nervous system (CNS), eyes, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys, and in other age groups. Isolated CNS involvement is extremely rare, especially in the spinal cord.

A rare case of intramedullary solitary juvenile xanthogranuloma of the lumbar spine in the adult: a case report

Solitary juvenile xanthogranuloma (SJX) of the spine is an extremely rare proliferative histiocytic disorder with only few cases reported in literature. We present the first case of intramedullary spinal SJX. A 22-year-old male presented with a nine-month history of progressively worsening sphincteric disturbances and saddle hypoesthesia. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an intra-axial lesion located in the conus medullaris; T1 hypointense, T2 iso-hyperintense and uniformly enhancing after contrast administration. The lesion was removed through a T12-L1 laminectomy and a median myelotomy with neurophysiological monitoring. Histological examination and immunohistochemical testing confirmed the diagnosis of SJX. Due to the intramedullary localization and the absence of a clear cleavage plane, radical removal was not possible. The tumor subsequently recurred and new surgical procedures were necessary followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. Patient made good neurological recovery. Three years after the latest treatment, MRI showed no recurrence. In accordance with the literature, the treatment of choice for SJX its radical removal, or subtotal removal followed by adjuvant radiotherapy.

Spontaneous regression of infantile dural-based non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis after surgery: case report

The authors report the case of a large left occipital mass lesion in an 8-month-old boy who presented with seizure. Neuroimaging demonstrated an approximately 5-cm extraaxial tumor, and the patient underwent partial resection. The tumor was strongly attached to the tentorium and falx. In the postoperative course the residual lesion regressed spontaneously, and after 5 years only a slight residual tumor remained along the tentorium. Histopathological examination of the tumor revealed non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis (non-LCH). However, the tumor was not diagnosed as juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) because it lacked Touton giant cells. Hence, the authors described this lesion as a fibroxanthogranuloma. Most intracraniospinal non-LCHs have been reported as JXG; however, several cases of xanthomatous tumors with histopathological features resembling those of JXG have been described as fibrous xanthoma, xanthoma, fibroxanthoma, and xanthogranuloma. Among JXG and the xanthomatous tumors, a review of the literature revealed several cases of dural-based tumors; these dural-based tumors have had favorable courses, including the case described in this report. In addition, the patient in the present case experienced spontaneous regression of the residual tumor. The authors report this unique case and review the literature on isolated intracraniospinal non-LCHs, especially in cases of dural-based lesion.

Solitary juvenile xanthogranuloma of the cervical spine in a child: A case report and review of literature

The authors present a case of 15 years male child who presented with neck pain and progressive ascending quadriparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging showed lytic mass involving C5 and C6 vertebra with soft tissue extension. Surgical excision of mass done using anterior cervical approach. Postoperatively, patient showed improvement in spasticity and power. Histopathological examination of mass was suggestive of juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG). At 6 months follow–up, patient was improving without any evidence of recurrence. Only 12 cases of JXG of spine have been reported till date including only four cases involving the cervical spine and among these four cases only two were of pediatric age group.

Juvenile Xanthogranuloma of adult spine: A rare case and review of literature

Juvenile Xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a rare disorder of central nervous system. It rarely produces compressive myelopathy. On reviewing world literature, we could find only nine cases of this disease involving spine and of which only four cases were in adults’ i.e., 18 years and above. We are presenting a case of Spinal JXG in an 18-year-old male with thoracic compressive myelopathy presenting as short duration progressive paraparesis. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Spine showed mass lesion in epidural space compressing cord from behind without any bony involvement at D7 to D10 vertebral segment. It was isointense on T1 and hyperintense on T2 with no contrast enhancement. D7 to D10 Laminectomy with complete excision of firm epidural mass was carried out. The histopathology with tumor markers confirmed the diagnosis of JXG. Post-operative neurological recovery in this patient was good. His power improved to grade 5/5 with decreased spasticity. Follow-up MRI at 3 months showed no residual tumor. This case appears to be the first in the series with entirely extradural component in adult thoracic spine.

Solitary xanthogranuloma of the upper cervical spine in a male adult

We present the rare case of solitary xanthogranuloma in the upper cervical column mimicking a Brown-Sequard syndrome. A 29-year-old man complained with right hemiparesis and left hypoesthesia after a car accident. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance images revealed a lobulated homogenously well-enhancing mass in between posterior arch of the atlas (C1) and spinous process of the axis (C2) resulting in a marked spinal canal narrowing with cortical erosions. The patient was managed by complete resection of the tumor with partial laminectomy with lower half of C1 posterior arch and upper half of C2 spinous process. The authors advise complete removal of the xanthogranuloma and consideration as a differential diagnosis of lesions among upper cervical lesions.