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Spontaneous and complete regeneration of a vertebra plana after surgical curettage of an eosinophilic granuloma

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Abstract

Purpose

The eosinophilic granuloma is a unifocal or multifocal Langerhans cell histiocytosis characterized by an expanding proliferation of Langerhans cells in bones. Skeletal LCH is a rare condition, and vertebral regeneration in cases of vertebral body collapse is even rarer. We report the case of a girl with spontaneous complete healing.

Methods ad results

A 3-year-old girl was referred for nighttime back pain, with no fever and no neurologic signs. Within a few days, she developed sudden painful restriction of all spine movements. X-ray and computed tomography (CT) of the spine showed reduced T7 vertebral body height (vertebra plana).The patient underwent T7 curettage and the histopathological exam was suggestive of LCH. Two additional skull lesions were found and therefore she underwent chemotherapy. After 7 years of follow-up, total vertebral reconstruction was observed.

Conclusions

Despite the rarity of the condition and despite the rarity of vertebral body lesion resolution, total vertebral body reconstruction was observed over a 7-year period. Long-term follow-up is necessary for a better understanding of the final outcome of patients with EG.

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Abbreviations

LCH:

Langerhans cell histiocytosis

EG:

Eosinophilic granuloma

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Acknowledgements

We thank Stefano Bastoni for performing and sharing useful information concerning the surgery.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ISICO (Italian Scientific Spine Institute), Via Bellarmino 13/1, 20141, Milan, Italy

    Francesca Di Felice, Fabio Zaina & Sabrina Donzelli

  2. Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy

    Stefano Negrini

  3. IRCCS Fondazione Don Gnocchi, Milan, Italy

    Stefano Negrini

Authors
  1. Francesca Di Felice
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  2. Fabio Zaina
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  3. Sabrina Donzelli
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  4. Stefano Negrini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francesca Di Felice.

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No sources of support were secures for this study.

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No funding was secured for this study.

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None of the authors has any potential conflict of interest.

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The patient’s parents provided informed consent for the publication of this case report.

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Di Felice, F., Zaina, F., Donzelli, S. et al. Spontaneous and complete regeneration of a vertebra plana after surgical curettage of an eosinophilic granuloma. Eur Spine J 26 (Suppl 1), 225–228 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-017-5063-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-017-5063-1

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