Diagnostic Dilemmas and Perioperative Challenges in Lumbar Spinal Chondroma: A Narrative Review with Case Presentation
Abstract
The occurrence of lumbar spinal chondromas is exceptionally rare, with fewer than 30 cases reported. Due to their rarity and similar presentation to more common spinal pathologies, lumbar spinal chondromas often pose diagnostic challenges. A 19-year-old patient was diagnosed with lumbar spinal chondroma at the L5–S1 level. The tumor was initially misinterpreted as a case of lumbar disc prolapse, and surgical decompression was planned. During surgery, a whitish firm, cartilaginous tumor compressing the S1 nerve root was discovered and excised. A narrative review of the literature was conducted, analyzing case reports and series of lumbar spinal chondromas published between 1900 and October 2025. A total of 25 cases were included, with a focus on clinical presentation, imaging findings, surgical management, and outcomes. The most common symptoms of lumbar spinal chondromas are low back pain (44%) and sciatica (40%). Neurological deficits, such as conus medullaris syndrome, cauda equina syndrome, or paraparesis, were observed in 8% of cases. Lumbar spinal chondromas, although rare, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lumbar radiculopathy or back pain. In this nearly doubled cohort relative to the prior systematic review, peripheral rim enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging, previously considered the most characteristic discriminating feature, was present in fewer than a third of cases, highlighting the persistent diagnostic difficulty of this entity. The surgical approach and anatomical location significantly influence recovery, with most cases showing positive postsurgical results.
Related
- First evidence of plasmodium falciparum-plasmodium ovale co-infection with delayed clinical presentation in an Ivorian patient: observations and diagnostic challenges
- Adult presentation of gaucher disease: diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in a resource-limited setting
- Diagnostic challenges and frontiers for women and girls with hemophilia / hemophilia carriers: A narrative review
- Pediatric Extraspinal Sacrococcygeal Ependymoma: A Structured Narrative Review of Published Cases and Diagnostic Challenges
- Andes virus reaches Europe: a narrative review on clinical challenges, diagnostic gaps and public health preparedness, 2026.
BibTeX
@article{ahmed2026diagnostic,
title = {{Diagnostic Dilemmas and Perioperative Challenges in Lumbar Spinal Chondroma: A Narrative Review with Case Presentation}},
author = {Nazmin Ahmed and Kashif Qureshi and Mohammad Nazrul Hossain and Abdullah Salman and Mohaiminul Islam and Murtaja Satea and Raju Ahmed and Md. Shahidul Islam Khan and Daniel Encarnacion Santos and Md. Bashir Ahammed and Kodeeswaran M and Kivanc Yangi and Tural Rajabov and Bipin Chaurasia},
journal = {Acta Neurologica Taiwanica},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.4103/ant.ant-d-26-00047},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4103/ant.ant-d-26-00047},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Diagnostic Dilemmas and Perioperative Challenges in Lumbar Spinal Chondroma: A Narrative Review with Case Presentation
AU - Nazmin Ahmed
AU - Kashif Qureshi
AU - Mohammad Nazrul Hossain
AU - Abdullah Salman
AU - Mohaiminul Islam
AU - Murtaja Satea
AU - Raju Ahmed
AU - Md. Shahidul Islam Khan
AU - Daniel Encarnacion Santos
AU - Md. Bashir Ahammed
AU - Kodeeswaran M
AU - Kivanc Yangi
AU - Tural Rajabov
AU - Bipin Chaurasia
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Acta Neurologica Taiwanica
DO - 10.4103/ant.ant-d-26-00047
UR - https://doi.org/10.4103/ant.ant-d-26-00047
AB - The occurrence of lumbar spinal chondromas is exceptionally rare, with fewer than 30 cases reported. Due to their rarity and similar presentation to more common spinal pathologies, lumbar spinal chondromas often pose diagnostic challenges. A 19-year-old patient was diagnosed with lumbar spinal chondroma at the L5–S1 level. The tumor was initially misinterpreted as a case of lumbar disc prolapse, and surgical decompression was planned. During surgery, a whitish firm, cartilaginous tumor compressing the S1 nerve root was discovered and excised. A narrative review of the literature was conducted, analyzing case reports and series of lumbar spinal chondromas published between 1900 and October 2025. A total of 25 cases were included, with a focus on clinical presentation, imaging findings, surgical management, and outcomes. The most common symptoms of lumbar spinal chondromas are low back pain (44%) and sciatica (40%). Neurological deficits, such as conus medullaris syndrome, cauda equina syndrome, or paraparesis, were observed in 8% of cases. Lumbar spinal chondromas, although rare, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lumbar radiculopathy or back pain. In this nearly doubled cohort relative to the prior systematic review, peripheral rim enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging, previously considered the most characteristic discriminating feature, was present in fewer than a third of cases, highlighting the persistent diagnostic difficulty of this entity. The surgical approach and anatomical location significantly influence recovery, with most cases showing positive postsurgical results.
SN - 1028-768X
ER -