Vertebral body mass

Last revised by Henry Knipe on 24 Nov 2022

The differential diagnosis for a vertebral body mass is broad and may range from a completely benign bone island to a malignant primary bone tumor.

Classification

Broadly, these lesions can be separated into:

  • non-neoplastic lesions

  • primary bone tumors

  • secondary metastatic disease

Non-neoplastic lesions
Primary bone tumors

Primary bone tumors of the spine are much less common than secondary metastatic disease:

Secondary metastatic disease

Vertebral metastases are significantly more common than primary bone tumors, especially in an older patient or one with known primary disease elsewhere.

Assessment of whether the bone lesions are sclerotic or lytic may help to narrow the differential diagnosis of primary disease if it is unknown.

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