Benign tumors of the pediatric spine: statistical notes.

A group of 50 pediatric patients affected with tumors or pseudotumors of the spine were studied with the purpose of determining the interval between the onset of symptoms and definitive diagnosis, the incidence of various symptoms, the statistical frequency based on age, sex, histologic type, localization, site. Also studied were diagnostic procedures adopted, therapy, recurrence, complications. The child affected with benign tumor pathology of the spine is rarely submitted early to appropriate diagnostic testing. Tumors are more frequently localized in the lumbar and thoracic spine and there is predilection for the vertebral arch. The most frequent histologic types are in decreasing order: histiocytosis X, osteoid osteoma, and aneurysmal cyst. Treatment is constituted by simple curettage in histiocytosis X, complete resection of the neoplasm in osteoid osteoma and osteoblastoma, partial resection associated with radiotherapy or selective embolization in aneurysmal bone cyst.