title: Significance of bone marrow examination in the diagnostic process of paraspinal mass in children: a case report.
abstract: Spinal cord compression is a rare but serious complication of non-Hodgkin lymphoma or leukemia. Biopsy of the mass with or without laminectomy would be necessary for diagnosis in patients presenting with isolated paraspinal mass in the absence of other overt clinical symptoms or findings or laboratory abnormalities that would specifically suggest leukemia or lymphoma. The authors describe a 6-year-old girl with symptoms of spinal cord compression due to a paraspinal mass who had undergone surgical intervention; she was later shown to have acute B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia. A bone marrow aspiration should be considered in such patients to avoid unnecessary surgical intervention.
authors.affiliation: Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey. buyukavci@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buyukavci
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karacan
authors.forename: Hasim
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Olgun
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology*; D001856:Bone Marrow Examination; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013131:Spine / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery