Osteoid Osteomas and Osteoblastomas of the Spine

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http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/465365?mpid=24450

Osteoid osteomas and osteoblastomas are rare primary bone tumors that

usually do not arise in the spine. In this report the authors analyze 16

cases of osteoid osteoma or osteoblastoma of the spine that were surgically

treated over a 27-year period...

.... these spine tumors arose mainly from posterior elements. The osteoid

osteomas in our series occurred predominantly in the posterior elements,

especially the lamina and pedicles. When neuroimaging permitted delineation,

the majority of the tumors arose in the lamina and pedicles, and most of the

others were found in the transverse and spinous processes. When present, VB

involvement was very limited and was secondary to anterior extension of the

tumor. Both of these tumor types tend to occur in the thoracic and lumbar

spine,[5,26] as demonstrated in this series. They also involve the posterior

arch much more frequently than the VB. In addition, osteoblastomas of the

spine may have soft-tissue masses, which initially may encroach on the

spinal canal and later may surround the dural sac or adjacent nerve roots,

or both. Osteoblastomas occur predominantly in patients younger than 20

years of age.[8,14,18] The youngest reported patient was 2 years old and the

oldest was 78 years old.[11,23]