Rare presentation of juvenile xanthogranuloma in the thoracic spine of an adult patient: case report and literature review.

Isolated spinal involvement of juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is extremely rare. There are only seven prior published cases of spinal JXG, of which only one has been reported in an adult. We report here the eighth case of spinal JXG and the second in an adult. The patient, a 22-year-old female, presented with progressive upper backache. Radiological examination revealed a well-defined osteolytic hypointense mass in the T7 vertebral body, with a large soft tissue paraspinal extension causing cord compression. Complete resection of the mass was performed, with resolution of symptoms. Histology showed a histiocytic tumour with numerous Touton, foreign body and osteoclastic giant cells, immunopositive for CD68 and vimentin and negative for S100 and CD1a, corresponding to a diagnosis of JXG. Literature regarding spinal JXG is reviewed and discussed.