title: Epidural inflammatory pseudotumor in the thoracic spine in a patient with polymyalgia rheumatica.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Only six previous cases of epidural inflammatory psedotumor in the spine have been reported. None of them were seen in the course of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe a rare case of epidural inflammatory pseudotumor in the thoracic spine in a patient with PMR.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case report.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 63-year-old man had a 6-year history of PMR treated with prednisone and cyclosporine. He presented with gait disturbance. Magnetic resonance imaging on the 12th day after the onset of the symptoms showed spinal cord compression caused by a posterior epidural mass at the T5-T6 level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patient underwent a T5-T6 laminectomy and a total excision of the mass, which involved the ligament flavum and epidural adipose tissue and firmly attached to the dura mater. Histopathologic examination revealed severe lymphoplasmacytic infiltration with fibrosis in the entire specimen and no evidence of hematomas or tumorous lesions. After surgery, the patient's neurologic symptoms disappeared immediately. Two years after surgery, the patient is neurologically normal and has not had a recurrence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report identifies a rare case of epidural inflammatory pseudotumor in the thoracic spine in a patient with PMR.
authors: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kanazawa University School of Medicine, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan. skato323@gmail.com
authors: Satoshi
authors: S
authors: Kato
authors: Hideki
authors: H
authors: Murakami
authors: Satoru
authors: S
authors: Demura
authors: Katsuhito
authors: K
authors: Yoshioka
authors: Yoshiyuki
authors: Y
authors: Okamoto
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Hayashi
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Tsuchiya
mesh_terms: D004388:Dura Mater / Q000473:pathology*; D004824:Epidural Space / Q000473:pathology*; D006104:Granuloma, Plasma Cell / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011111:Polymyalgia Rheumatica / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae