Pigmented villonodular synovitis of the lumbosacral spine

Abstract

Pigmented villonodular synovitis commonly occurs in synovial joints of the appendicular skeleton but rarely affects the synovial joint of the spine, and thus information regarding its natural history, treatment and prognosis remains limited. This case report illustrates a male patient with lumbosacral spinal pigmented villonodular synovitis who presented with lower back pain. It was treated by radical surgical excision and posterior instrumentation. Surgical decompression and follow-up of a patient with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) constitute a satisfactory treatment of pigmented villonodular synovitis. © Springer-Verlag 2004.