Cervical osteochondroma presenting with acute quadriplegia

Osteochondromas of the vertebral column are rare tumors and constitute about 3-4% of all primary vertebral column tumors. We report a case of osteochondroma arising from C3 lamina presenting with acute quadriplegia following a trivial fall. Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI) showed bony lesion arising from C3 laminar arch compressing the cord with underlying spinal cord contusion. Emergency C3 laminectomy and complete enbloc excision of the lesion was performed, following which patient showed gradual recovery in neurological status. This acute presentation in this rare, slow growing, tumor has never been reported in literature till date.