title: Osteochondroma of the cervical spine--a surprising finding in a liver transplanted patient with polyneuropathy and polyradiculitis: case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Osteochondroma of the spine is a rare condition. We report a case of a patient with a cervical osteochondroma presenting with a polyneuropathy and polyradiculitis simultaneously.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a liver-transplant patient with progressive neurological deficits a polyneuropathy and a polyradiculitis were diagnosed. Eventually the patient became quadraparetic and an osteochondroma compressing the cervical spinal cord was found. The patient's neurological symptoms markedly improved after gross total tumor resection and antibiotic therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Review of the literature reveals this case to be an unusual presentation of a cervical osteochondroma, its diagnosis being delayed because of concomitant neurological diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Charite, Campus Virchow, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan-Nikolaus
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Kroppenstedt
authors.forename: Deborah T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Blumenthal
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Niepage
authors.forename: Friedrich
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Behse
authors.forename: Jorg-Wilhelm
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Oestmann
authors.forename: Andreas Wilhelm
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Unterberg
mesh_terms: D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015831:Osteochondroma / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D011115:Polyneuropathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D011128:Polyradiculopathy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed