Total En Bloc Spondylectomy for the Fifth Lumbar Solitary Metastasis by a Posterior-Only Approach

BACKGROUND: Relatively few cases of total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) for L5 tumors have been reported. TES in the lower lumbar region is usually performed through a combined anterior and posterior approach. TES for L5 tumors by a posterior-only approach is technically challenging. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 62-year-old woman with persistent pain in her lumbosacral area and lower extremities and numbness of her lateral left lower extremity for 2 months came to our department. She had undergone radical mastectomy 4 years earlier. X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed that the tumor had destroyed the vertebral body of L5. No other lesions were revealed by emission computed tomography (ECT) or positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). With a diagnosis of breast cancer and a solitary metastasis to L5, the patient was treated with posterior-only TES of the L5 tumor and reconstruction The whole procedure took 10 hours, and her intraoperative blood loss was 9000 mL. The lumbar and leg pain of the patient disappeared postoperatively without serious complications. She started walking 4 weeks after surgery and resumed her daily life. New multiple metastases developed 6 months after surgery, with no sign of local recurrence. Despite active treatment, she died 18 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: TES of the L5 tumor can be achieved by a posterior-only approach, with good results and limited complications.