Myopericytoma of the thoracic spine: a case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Myopericytoma is a recently proposed term to describe a group of tumors originating from perivascular myoid cells. The tumor is most commonly located in the subcutaneous tissues and dermis of the extremities. Myopericytoma involving the skeletal system is a very rare entity, with only two such cases previously reported in literature. PURPOSE: To present only the third reported case of myopericytoma of the spine along with a review of literature. STUDY DESIGN: Case report with and review of literature. METHODS: We report the case of a 50-year-old woman who presented with pain in the back with gradual onset of paraparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging showed ill-defined signal changes in the body and posterior elements of the vertebrae with epidural soft tissue mass encasing the spinal cord. RESULTS: The patient underwent excision of the lesion with spinal fusion followed by a short course of radiotherapy. The patient recovered functional power after surgery, and at 32-month follow-up, there is no radiological evidence of recurrence of the lesion. CONCLUSIONS: Myopericytoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lytic lesions of the spine. Surgery is curative; however, a short course of chemotherapy or radiotherapy may be required to prevent recurrent disease in case of incomplete tumor excision. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.