METASTATIC EPIDURAL BONY TUMOR CAUSING SPINAL-CORD COMPRESSION - A CASE-REPORT

The authors report the case of a patient with breast cancer who develo ped spinal cord compression due to the expansion of an epidural bony t umor from an osteoblastic vertebral metastasis into the spinal canal. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an epidural mass that was compress ing the spinal cord but that did not demonstrate the bony elements con tained within the epidural mass, These bony elements were demonstrable only by computed tomography, The patient did not respond to radiother apy but did recover after surgical decompression. Therefore, the autho rs recommend the use of computed tomography for patients who have oste oblastic vertebral metastases and epidural spinal cord compression dia gnosed by MRI. Once an epidural bony mass expanding from a vertebral m etastasis into the spinal canal is demonstrated by computed tomography , surgical decompression is indicated.