title: Low-back pain as the presenting sign in a patient with a giant, sacral cellular schwannoma: 10-year follow-up.
abstract: Giant sacral tumors present unique challenges to surgeons because there is no established consensus regarding the best treatment options. The authors report on the care of and outcome in a patient presenting with low-back pain only, who underwent preoperative biopsy sampling and subsequent embolization of the feeding vessels of a giant, sacral cellular schwannoma. The main procedure was performed via a combined posterior-anterior approach with complete microsurgical removal of the tumor, without the use of instrumentation, bracing, or adjuvant radio- and chemotherapy. At the 10-year follow-up, no evidence of residual tumor, recurrence, or instability was recognizable. Giant, sacral cellular schwannomas can be aggressively completely removed without any significant morbidity, achieving long-term control of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgery, Martin Luther University Hospital Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. alex.alfieri@medizin.uni-halle.de
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alfieri
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campello
authors.forename: Maximilian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Broger
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vitale
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schwarz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods*; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011300:Preoperative Care; D012447:Sacrum / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed