title: Metastasizing chordoma of the lumbar spine.
abstract: Chordoma is a dysontogenetic bone tumour that appears in the region of the axial skeleton. Its malignant transformation has been underestimated in the past, since the incidence of metastasis is disputed. This paper describes a chordoma of the fifth lumbar vertebra, which at first was monolocular, but in the course of the disease led to a diffuse metastasis of the spine. Specific histological findings and the differential diagnosis of the chordoma are discussed, as well as previous descriptions in the literature relating to course, diagnosis, and therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann Str. 9, 50724 Köln, Germany. Karl-Stefan.Delank@medizin.uni-koeln.de
authors.forename: K-St
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Delank
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kriegsmann
authors.forename: Ph
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Drees
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eckardt
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eysel
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002817:Chordoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009984:Orthopedic Fixation Devices; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D013123:Spinal Fusion; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed