Myopericytoma of the thoracic spine: a case report and review of literature

Background contextMyopericytoma is a recently proposed term to describe a group of tumors originating from perivascular myoid cells. The tumor is most commonly located in the subcutaneous tissues and dermis of the extremities. Myopericytoma involving the skeletal system is a very rare entity, with only two such cases previously reported in literature.PurposeTo present only the third reported case of myopericytoma of the spine along with a review of literature.Study designCase report with and review of literature.MethodsWe report the case of a 50-year-old woman who presented with pain in the back with gradual onset of paraparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging showed ill-defined signal changes in the body and posterior elements of the vertebrae with epidural soft tissue mass encasing the spinal cord.ResultsThe patient underwent excision of the lesion with spinal fusion followed by a short course of radiotherapy. The patient recovered functional power after surgery, and at 32-month follow-up, there is no radiological evidence of recurrence of the lesion.ConclusionsMyopericytoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lytic lesions of the spine. Surgery is curative; however, a short course of chemotherapy or radiotherapy may be required to prevent recurrent disease in case of incomplete tumor excision.