Authors
Suresh Sivadasan Pillaia, Karthik Beju Prameelab, Akash Deepc, Nandana Madhusudhanan Sujakumarid
aSenior consultant, spine surgeon and Head of Department of Spine Surgery, Associate Professor, Sree Gokulam Medical college Hospital, Trivandrum, Kerala; bResident in Spine surgery, Sree Gokulam Medical college Hospital, Trivandrum, Kerala; cFellow in spine surgery, Assistant Professor, Department of spine surgery, Sree Gokulam Medical college Hospital, Trivandrum, Kerala; dResearch assistant, Department of spine surgery, Sree Gokulam Medical college Hospital, Trivandrum, Kerala
Abstract
Spinal osteochondromas are rare benign bone tumours that can cause significant morbidity through compression of spinal cord, nerve roots or major vascular structures. This review provides a comprehensive overview of spinal osteochondromas, covering incidence, prevalence, clinical presentation, management strategies, potential complications, aetiology and future research directions. Osteochondromas are more frequent in the cervical spine. Diagnosis is based on clinico-radiographic correlation using CT and MRI. Surgical treatment is indicated for symptomatic patients with pain and/or neurovascular deficits. When surgery is contemplated, complete resection of the mass along with the cartilaginous cap is essential to minimize recurrence. The outcome of surgical treatment is generally favourable but it tends to be less favourable for thoracic osteochondromas. Future research maybe focused on understanding the genetic factors predisposing to osteochondroma formation, identifying and developing targeted therapies to prevent growth and recurrence.
Keywords: Osteochondroma, Spinal Tumours, Cord Compression, Cartilage Cap