Hodgkin's disease of the thoracic vertebrae

Background contextHodgkin's disease rarely occurs in the spine, which is usually a setting for the advanced form of the disease.PurposeTo 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.Study design/settingA 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.MethodsWe 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.ResultsAntibiotic 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.ConclusionsHodgkin'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.