title: Solitary sacral osteochondroma without neurological symptoms: a case report and review of the literature.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report a case of solitary sacral osteochondroma without neurological symptoms and describe the en bloc excision of the tumour, as well as review the literature on osteochondroma involving the sacrum.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  although osteochondromas are among the most common benign tumours of the bone, they uncommonly involve the spine. Its occurence in the sacrum is rare, accounting for only 0.5 % of the osteochondromas involving spine. All previous cases of sacral osteochondroma have reported neurological symptoms on presentation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 21-year-old male presented with a palpable, painless mass in the left side of the sacral region of 1 year duration, without neurological symptoms. Radiological studies showed a well-circumscribed lesion with bony osteoid within arising from the sacrum at S3-S4 level left to midline, with features suggestive of osteochondroma. The tumour was excised en bloc through posterior approach. A literature review of sacral osteochondroma was conducted using MEDLINE search of English Literature and bibliographies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Histopathological studies showed the lesion to consist mature bone trabeculae with active enchondral ossification with cap of normal hyaline cartilage. Literature review yielded only 8 cases of sacral osteochondroma reported earlier.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the 9th case of solitary osteochondroma of the sacrum to be reported, the first to be reported without any neurological symptoms, and third case reported for which en bloc excision was performed.
authors: Department of Orthopaedics, Assam Medical College, Barbari, Dibrugarh, 786 002, Assam, India, dr_ranjit53@rediffmail.com.
authors: Ranjit Kumar
authors: RK
authors: Baruah
authors: Hemjit
authors: H
authors: Das
authors: Russel
authors: R
authors: Haque
mesh_terms: D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D015831:Osteochondroma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D012447:Sacrum; D055815:Young Adult