title: Hodgkin's disease of the thoracic vertebrae.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hodgkin's disease rarely occurs in the spine, which is usually a setting for the advanced form of the disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe an unusual case of isolated, primary spinal Hodgkin's disease and to draw attention to this disease as a possible diagnosis in patients with mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate lesions located in the thoracic spine.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case report of a 28-year-old woman who presented with back pain and progressive weakness in the lower extremities as a result of spinal cord compression from Hodgkin's disease of the thoracic vertebrae.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report a new case of spinal cord compression resulting from Hodgkin's disease of the thoracic vertebrae. Decompression surgery was performed in the patient, followed by antibiotic treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Antibiotic therapy temporarily improved inflammation and fever. However, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation showed that the inflammatory reaction in the lesion was not completely resolved. The disease progressed and later investigations revealed Hodgkin's disease, which improved with a course of chemotherapy and radiation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hodgkin's disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of spinal neoplastic lesions with clinical features similar to spondylitis. Because MRI evaluation showed that the vertebral disc was maintained in this case, the presence of a tumor rather than inflammation should have been suspected.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shinshu University, School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto City, Nagano 390-8621, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uehara
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirabayashi
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kitahara
authors.forename: Tetsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kamijyo
authors.forename: Sohei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ebara
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Extranodal lymphoma; Hodgkin's disease; Lymphoma; Spinal cord; Spinal cord compression