Osteochondroma of foramen magnum: A case report

Abstract

Background: Osteochondroma is a common tumor of the skeletal bone and is a common benign tumor of the bone constitutes 10-15% of all and 20-50% of the benign bone tumors. The lesion is an exophytic bony protrusion covered by a cartilaginous cap. It is most commonly found in long bones, and especially at the epiphysis. Nearly 40% of cases are seen around the knee joint. Osteochondroma rarely affect skull bones, occurrence of an intracranial osteochondroma is a rarity in the neurosurgical literature and only anecdotal reports are available in the literature. To our knowledge no case arising from foramen magnum has been reported. Case presentation: We present a 73 years old male with gait problem and limb paresis. Imaging investigation showed a bony mass in the foramen magnum, that compresses neural elements. The patient also complained of persistent headache in his occipitocervical region. There was no history of previous trauma. The patient underwent surgery and histopathological examination confirmed the lesion to be osteochondroma. Conclusion: Many types of lesion may be seen in foramen magnum area, and in differential diagnosis of such lesion rare, osseous tumors such as osteochondroma should be considered.