title: Giant cell tumor of the spine: computed tomography appearance and review of the literature.
abstract: Giant cell tumor of the vertebral body is a rare but well-recognized entity with a reported incidence between 1.3% and 9.3% of all giant cell tumors. It has been suggested that computed tomography may be helpful in making the diagnosis, although computed tomography appearances have only been described on two occasions. A case of giant cell tumor of the thoracic spine and a review of the literature regarding this entity are presented. The computed tomography appearance of this lesion is described. However, a distinctive pattern, as previously suggested, is not demonstrated. Although we are not convinced that computed tomography provides a definitive diagnosis in cases of spinal giant cell tumor, it is a valuable asset in defining the extent of the tumor and in posttherapy evaluation and follow-up.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005870:Giant Cell Tumors / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed