Bony lesions of cranium and spine: A study of 123 cases

CONTEXT: Bony lesions involving the cranium and spine have a wide range of etiologies, ranging from congenital, traumatic, inflammatory, to neoplastic. AIM: The aim was to analyze the histological spectrum of various bony lesions of cranium and spine received as biopsies from the neurosurgery department in our hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: There were 123 cases of bony lesions of cranium and spine diagnosed over a period of 5 years during 2015–2019 in the neuropathology laboratory. These cases were studied retrospectively. RESULTS: Out of the total 123 cases of bony lesions analyzed, 75 affected the cranium and 48 affected the spine. Overall, neoplastic lesions (83) were more frequent than the nonneoplastic lesions (40). In the cranium, neoplastic lesions (66/75) outnumbered the nonneoplastic ones (9/75), whereas in the spine, nonneoplastic lesions (31/48) were more common. Chordoma (40/83) was the most common neoplasm, whereas tuberculous osteomyelitis (30/40) was the most common nonneoplastic lesion encountered. Majority of the patients were adult males aged between 21 and 50 years. Rare lesions such as spinal osteochondroma, poorly differentiated neoplasm metastatic to the cervical spine from a primary salivary gland neoplasm, spinal metastasis of a glioblastoma, and intraosseous meningioma of cranium were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides epidemiological information regarding the incidence and nature of bone lesions of the spine and cranium.