Destructive cervical spine osteoblastoma at C5 in a young patient initially presenting with quadriparesis: case report and review of the literature.

Background: Osteoblastomas are rare benign bone tumors that are mostly found in the posterior spinal elements; about 20% are located in the cervical spine.

Objective: The case of a destructive cervical osteoblastoma at C5 is reported in a 19-year-old man who initially presented with spastic quadriparesis.

Case Report: A 19-year-old man was self-referred, reporting symptoms in keeping with a progressive spastic quadriparesis, which had suddenly developed 6 days earlier. Preceding symptoms included mild non-specific neck pain for 3 weeks. The patient was afebrile, and no ambulatory X-ray study had been performed until the time of referral. A cervical spine computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a lytic lesion involving the spinal process and the pedicles of the C5 vertebra. Cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging performed on an inpatient basis revealed a well-circumscribed, destructive lesion of the C5 vertebra, measuring approximately 3 cm. The spinal cord was significantly compressed. The patient underwent open surgical resection of the tumor through a midline posterior approach. Histopathology of the tumor specimen was in keeping with a diagnosis of osteoblastoma.

Conclusion: Neuroimaging should be performed with either conventional plain X-ray study, which seems to be sufficient in patients presenting with non-specific symptomatology related to cervical spine damage, or with advanced techniques in the case of patients with persistent neck pain or neurological deficit.