Introduction Chordoma is a malignant tumor of the bone and should be always considered when a midline tumor of the axial skeleton is found. The majority of chordomas affect the sacral region, representing 49% of all the cases. There is…
Introduction Chordomas are uncommon malignant neoplasms of the bone that can arise anywhere along the central nervous system. These tumors originate from persisting remnants of the notochord, and their behavior is aggressive due to their invasiveness and high recurrence rates.…
Introduction Intradural extramedullary thoracic spinal cord tumors are rare entities that cause thoracic myelopathy and occasionally radiculopathy. These tumors occur in 5 to 10 per 100,000 persons. The two most common intradural extramedullary pathological diagnoses are schwannomas and meningiomas. Schwannomas…
Introduction Foramen magnum meningiomas comprise a rare group of neoplasms that affect primarily the lower cranial nerves and cervico-medullary junction. Meningiomas located on this region represent 1.8%–3.2 % of all meningiomas and 8.6 % of all spinal meningiomas. Although infrequent,…
Introduction Primary glioblastoma (GBM) of the spinal cord is a rare condition that contributes to just 1.5% of all spinal tumors. This neoplasm most commonly affects the cervical spine or the cervico-thoracic junction in at least 60% of the cases…
Introduction The cervical spine is the least common site affected by metastatic tumors of the vertebral column, but despite this, the presence of space occupying lesions in this region may cause severe symptomatology and morbidity. Additional involvement of the upper…
Introduction Intramedullary spinal cord lesions represent a diagnostic challenge. Lesions occupying the cervico-medullary junction are rare entities, and the actual prevalence has not been reported. Patients who present with myelopathic symptoms and findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) typically exhaust…
Introduction The thoracic spine, which includes attachments to the rib cage, is one of the most challenging regions for surgical interventions. Intramedullary cord thoracic lesions are not common, where intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCTs) only account for 20% to 30%…
Introduction Adult spinal deformities may be caused by progressive degenerative disease, iatrogenic changes, or progression of adolescent curves. It is most commonly seen in patients older than 65 years, which is also the fastest growing population in the United States.…
Introduction Penetrating injuries to the spine are often caused by gunshot wounds (GSWs). Most of the literature supporting the management guidelines of GSWs to the spine stem from military and combat medicine. The overall incidence of civilian GSWs has increased…