"Dynamic" Rotational Canal Stenosis Caused by Osteoma of the Atlas: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Osteoma in the upper cervical spine: A case report and comprehensive literature review

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Osteoma is a benign, and usually asymptomatic bone tumor normally found in the skull and facial bones, although it can occasionally occur in the long bones and spine.

CASE PRESENTATION

In this article, we present a 49-year-old male patient who experienced progressive neck pain accompanied by left-sided radicular pain symptoms. Clinical investigation using various imaging techniques confirmed a bone-forming lesion located within the C1 vertebrae region. Treatment involved performing hemilaminectomy of C1 along with resection for complete removal of this extradural bone lesion, ultimately achieving symptom relief. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen leads to the diagnosis of osteoma. Along with reporting this case, we conducted a comprehensive literature review of the previously reported spinal osteoma cases.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of osteoma. A comprehensive literature review was conducted, revealing 16 previously reported cases of spinal osteoma. Among these, only one case involved the C1 vertebra and presented similar neurological symptoms. The review underscores the rarity of spinal osteomas and the importance of surgical intervention for symptom relief.

CONCLUSION

Spinal osteomas are rare but should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with neck pain and radicular symptoms. Surgical removal of the lesion is often necessary for symptom relief, as highlighted by our case and supported by the literature review. This case adds to the limited body of evidence on spinal osteomas and emphasizes the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for optimal patient outcomes.

Cervical osteoma in hereditary multiple exostoses

Osteoid osteoma is a benign bony pathology. It presents either as a solitary lesion or as multiple lesions with a genetic predisposition. Reported more often in teenagers with thrice more common incidence among boys than in girls, it has a predilection for long bones of lower limbs. Less commonly arising from iliac crest or ribs; it is seen to be further rare to have originated from vertebrae or tarsal/carpal bones. Cranial osteomas are detected either incidentally on imaging or present as a bony hard swelling arising from the skull. Spinal intracanal osteomas are extremely rare to encounter in clinical practice. Cervical intracanal lesion in a case of hereditary multiple exostoses (HME) presenting with myelopathy is further rare. Less than thirty such cases have been reported so far. We present here a rare case of HME in a 16-year-old boy with compressive myelopathy secondary to intracanal cervical osteoma at C4 Lamina and spinous process. He had a phenotypical expression of hereditary multiple osteomas with a strong family history of inheritance of trait among first-degree male relatives favoring genetic transmission of disease with variable penetrance. All reported cases, to date, are discussed in a tabulated form.