Metastatic epidural bony tumor causing spinal cord compression: a case report.

The authors report the case of a patient with breast cancer who developed spinal cord compression due to the expansion of an epidural bony tumor from an osteoblastic vertebral metastasis into the spinal canal. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an epidural mass that was compressing the spinal cord but that did not demonstrate the bony elements contained within the epidural mass. These bony elements were demonstrable only by computed tomography. The patient did not respond to radiotherapy but did recover after surgical decompression. Therefore, the authors recommend the use of computed tomography for patients who have osteoblastic vertebral metastases and epidural spinal cord compression diagnosed by MRI. Once an epidural bony mass expanding from a vertebral metastasis into the spinal canal is demonstrated by computed tomography, surgical decompression is indicated.