Pigmented villonodular synovitis of the cervical spine: a case report

Abstract

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a proliferative disease of the synovial membranes. Large joints are most commonly affected, while PVNS rarely affects the spine. We present a 70-year-old female patient with PVNS in the cervical spine who experienced both radiculopathy and myelopathy. An osteolytic lesion was observed over the sixth and seventh intervertebral foramina on the right cervical vertebrae on the radiological examination, and surgery was performed to remove the tumor and stabilize the cervical spine. Partial tumor resection was performed to preserve the right seventh cervical root. She was pathologically diagnosed with PVNS. After surgery, the patient's symptoms improved, and no recurrence was observed at outpatient follow-up 1 year later. In consideration of the recurrence rate, complete resection of the tumor is considered the standard treatment, but additional research is needed because there is no standard for adjuvant treatment in cases of incomplete resection or for methods to reduce the recurrence rate.