Cervical myelopathy due to an osteochondroma in a 73-year-old female. The oldest case in the literature.

An osteochondroma is a common developmental tumor of bone characterized by abnormal peri-physeal ectopic enchondral ossification. This results in a cartilage-capped subperiosteal bony projection, which may be either sessile or pedunculated. These lesions are said to grow until skeletal maturity. The cartilage cap is thought to become thinner as the patient ages beyond skeletal maturity. Apparent growth beyond skeletal maturity may be a sign of malignant conversion, usually to a chondroma. Osteochondromas are usually appreciated in the first decades of life, and are most commonly located in the extremities, usually in the knees, ankles, or wrists. Clinical complaints generally relate to the mass effect of the lesion. Solitary osteochondromas of the axial skeleton are less common and may present with a neurological deficit. We report on such a case, in a woman significantly older than other cases described in the literature.