Preoperative embolization and en bloc resection of a metastatic pheochromocytoma of the cervical spine.

Abstract

This is a unique case of metastatic pheochromocytoma of the cervical spine treated with preoperative embolization and subsequent en bloc resection. A 65-year-old man with metastatic pheochromocytoma presented with two weeks of worsening neck pain, left arm and leg weakness and paresthesia, and urinary incontinence. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a metastatic osseous lesion at C6 with severe stenosis and spinal cord compression. The patient underwent successful preoperative angiographic embolization with a liquid embolic agent followed by C5-C7 laminectomy, en bloc tumor resection, and C3-T2 posterior spinal fusion. Six weeks postoperatively, the patient reported improving strength and resolving neck pain and paresthesias. While there is no standard paradigm for the treatment of metastatic pheochromocytomas of the cervical spine, preoperative embolization may minimize intraoperative blood loss and hemodynamic instability during subsequent surgical resection.