Periosteal chondroma of the cervical spine: one more cause of neural foramen enlargement.

A case of cervical periosteal chondroma presenting with an enlarged neural foramen is described. Review of the literature showed that cervical chondromas are rare but that their characteristic clinical and computed tomographic findings aid in their diagnosis. The computed tomographic findings of two previously reported cases of cervical periosteal chondroma resembled those of the present case. On computed tomographic scanning, an iso-or high-density mass containing stippled calcifications and originating in a posterior cervical neural arch was observed in all three cases. Extensive spinal canal and extradural involvement was observed in five of the seven reported cases, including the one reported here.