Total en bloc spondylectomy for 9 patients with primary tumor of the lumbar spine

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the possibility and curative effect of total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) for the treatment of primary tumors of the lumbar spine. Methods Between June 2005 and July 2009,nine cases of primary tumor of the lumbar spine were treated with total en bloc spondylectomy through a single posterior approach performed in seven cases(L1 giant cell tumor, L1 osteosarcoma, L2 giant cell tumor,L2 solitary plasmacytoma, L2 chondrosarcoma, L2 chordoma, and L3 histiocytic sarcoma), and two cases through a single stage anterior and posterior combined approach (L4 giant cell tumor with paraspinal mass and L4 fibrosarcoma). They were performed a single stage reconstruction after removing tumors of vertebra. Neurofunction was evaluated perioperatively and recurrence of tumor was tracked for all cases.Results The follow up was obtained for 3-49 months (averaging 19 months). All patients attained significant clinical improvement after surgery without any severe complications. There was no local recurrence and distal metastasis in shortterm follow-up. Conclusion The treatment by TES to remove tumors and reconstruction of spine are reliable for primary tumors of the lumbar spine. The curative effect of short-term follow-up is satisfactory. However, the long-term curative effect remain to be further follow-up. Key words: Spinal neoplasms; Surgical procedures, operative; Therapy; Prognosis