Solitary Thoracic Exostosis Without Spinal Cord Compression Symptoms: A Rare Case Report

Abstract

Thoracic exostosis (osteochondroma) is rare. In this study, we report a rare case of thoracic exostosis in a 10-year-old boy arising in the T8 spinous process without expansion of mass to spinal canal. The patient’s parents noticed a mass in the dorsal aspect of the thorax for the past two years with gradual enlargement over six months. The patient had no clinical symptoms of spinal cord compression, such as pain and myelopathy. In the radiological evaluation, a calcified lesion was detected with the typical characteristics of exostosis. The lesion was removed with en bloc resection, and histologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of thoracic exostosis. The six-month follow-up of the patient showed the event-free survival. This study suggests the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of thoracic exostosis for preventing it from causing long-term neurological deficits and reducing its potential risk of malignant transformation.