Solitary intraspinal lumbar vertebral osteochondroma:: a case report

1-4% of osteochondromas involve the spine. They are commonly found in the posterior elements of the vertebra and can cause radicular symptoms. We report a 35 year-old man, suffering from right leg pain, which became worse over five years. His neurological examination revealed a positive right straight leg raising test and L4-L5 hypoesthesia. Lumbar computerised tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies revealed an exophytic, pedunculated bony projection. Osteochondroma should be considered while evaluating a patient with low back pain or radiculopathy without a CT or MRI appearance of a herniated lumbar disc. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd.