Langerhans cell histiocytosis at L5 vertebra treated with en bloc vertebral resection: a case report

Solitary Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor of Lumbar Vertebra Mimicking Metastatic Malignancy

ABSTRACT

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor involving solitary lumbar vertebra is extremely rare. A 72-year-old man had a chief complaint of growing lumbocrural pain for 2 months. The CT scan detected a solitary vertebral lesion, which highly supported the diagnosis of metastatic malignancy. 18 F-FDG PET/CT demonstrated that the vertebral lesion had heterogeneous intense FDG accumulation with an SUV max of 16.4. The pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor. This case highlights that MPNST should be considered when there is solitary vertebra invasion with increased FDG uptake.

Spinal tumours: recommendations of the Polish Society of Spine Surgery, the Polish Society of Oncology, the Polish Society of Neurosurgeons, the Polish Society of Oncologic Surgery, the Polish Society of Oncologic Radiotherapy, and the Polish Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology

PURPOSE

The purpose of these recommendations is to spread the available evidence for evaluating and managing spinal tumours among clinicians who encounter such entities.

METHODS

The recommendations were developed by members of the Development Recommendations Group representing seven stakeholder scientific societies and organizations of specialists involved in various forms of care for patients with spinal tumours in Poland. The recommendations are based on data yielded from systematic reviews of the literature identified through electronic database searches. The strength of the recommendations was graded according to the North American Spine Society's grades of recommendation for summaries or reviews of studies.

RESULTS

The recommendation group developed 89 level A-C recommendations and a supplementary list of institutions able to manage primary malignant spinal tumours, namely, spinal sarcomas, at the expert level. This list, further called an appendix, helps clinicians who encounter spinal tumours refer patients with suspected spinal sarcoma or chordoma for pathological diagnosis, surgery and radiosurgery. The list constitutes a basis of the network of expertise for the management of primary malignant spinal tumours and should be understood as a communication network of specialists involved in the care of primary spinal malignancies.

CONCLUSION

The developed recommendations together with the national network of expertise should optimize the management of patients with spinal tumours, especially rare malignancies, and optimize their referral and allocation within the Polish national health service system.

Isolated Scapular Lesion of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis Detected by 18F-FDG PET/CT

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease that occurs mainly in pediatric patients and most adult LCH is considered a part of multisystem or multifocal disease. Only 7.3% of cases present as unifocal bone lesion. Herein, we present a case of an isolated scapular lesion of LCH in a 48-year-old man.

Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in the Adult Lumbar Spine - A Case Report and Literature Review

Introduction:

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) in spine is a benign disorder that mainly affects children and is rare in adults. The treatment of LCH in adults is still controversial. The literature is drought with reports regarding management of LCH in adults with pathological fracture. We report a case of LCH at L5 vertebra in an adult patient treated with posterior stabilization, decompression, and anterior corpectomy and reconstruction.

Case Presentation:

A 30-year-old manual laborer working in Middle East, presented to us with severe pain in the lower back (VAS-8) with the right lower limb radiculopathy for 6 months. Radiological investigations revealed to have a solitary osteolytic lesion with pathological fracture at L5 vertebral body. MRI showed hyperintense lesion in T2 sagittal images and hypointense in T1 sagittal images in L5 vertebral body. PET scan showed metabolically active lesion involving L5 vertebra body and right ischium. CT-guided biopsy from L5 vertebral body was performed, but was inconclusive. The patient underwent surgical management in the form of posterior stabilization L4-S1 and transpedicular biopsy. The sample was sent for frozen section and confirmed the presence of neoplasia but did not provide sufficient information about the nature of pathology. Intraoperatively, the decision was made to do anterior excision biopsy, corpectomy, and reconstruction with titanium mesh cage filled with cement. The precise diagnosis of LCH was established on histopathological examination and confirmed with immunohistochemistry positivity for CD1a and S100. The patient had immediate relief of his back pain and radicular pain. He was able to resume his daily activities at 1 month after the surgery. At 2-year follow-up patient was asymptomatic and no local recurrence was noticed.

Conclusion:

Surgical excisionfor LCH in adults should be considered in patients with refractory low back pain with pathological fracture, neurological deficits, or spinal instability.

Vascular Floor of Mouth Mass with Unanticipated Intracranial, Orbital, and Vertebral Associated Involvements

We report on a case in which a blanching, unobtrusive oral growth proved to be a systemic threat. A blind, epileptic child presented with a bleeding oral floor mass of 4 weeks. Biopsy showed small, dilated vascular spaces with reactive fibroblasts. MRI indicated distribution of expansile lesions in the mandible, cranial base, and right orbit that had possibly contributed to the patient's years-long neurologic deficits. A subsequent bone scan indicated lesions in multiple axial bones. Histologic markers confirmed the presentation of a rare cystic vascular pathology. Cystic Angiomatosis is a disease of intraosseous vascular malformations with occasional visceral involvements. Oral and craniomaxillofacial cases are especially rare and presentations can involve neuropsychiatric deficits, sensory issues, and mucosal bleeding. While clinicians are often dismissive of intraoral bleeding because of the prevalence of periodontal disease, careful evaluation is nonetheless critical to rule out underlying diseases with a possibly significant systemic involvement.