Intracanalicular Osteochondroma in the Lumbar Spine

Osteochondroma is a common benign bone tumor that is relatively rare in the spine. Here, we report two cases of symptomatic solitary osteochondroma of the lumbar spine. The first case was a 61-year-old man who presented with a 2-year history of right leg numbness. Imaging findings showed that the cause of the radiculopathy was osteochondroma of the right inferior articular process at L4. The tumor was removed en bloc, and the numbness resolved. The second case was a 62-year-old man with osteochondroma of the right superior articular process at L5 that caused pain and numbness in the right leg. En bloc resection of the osteochondroma with the ligamentum flavum relieved the symptoms. Spinal osteochondroma occurs relatively frequently in elderly individuals compared with peripheral lesions and mimics a degenerative spinal disorder. Careful physical examination and imaging evaluation can reveal this tumor and surgery is effective for relieving the symptoms.