• Amrei Pilger, Nikolaos Tsilimparis, Maximilian Bockhorn, Martin Trepel, and Marc Dreimann.
• Department of Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery and Reconstructive Surgery, Regio Hospital Pinneberg, Fahltskamp 74, 25421, Pinneberg, Germany. a.pilger@web.de.
• Eur Spine J. 2016 May 1; 25 Suppl 1: 58-62.

PurposeWe report a case of a large three-level spinal osteosarcoma infiltrating the adjacent aorta. This is the first case in which a combined modified three-level en bloc corpectomy with resection and replacement of the adjacent aorta was successful as a part of interdisciplinary curative treatment.MethodsCase report.ResultsThe surgical procedure was performed as a two-step treatment. A heart lung machine (HLM) was not used, in order to avoid cerebral and spinal ischemia and to decrease the risk of hematogenous tumor metastases. Instead, a bypass from the left subclavian artery the distal descending aorta was used. We modified the en bloc corpectomy procedure, leaving a dorsal segment of the vertebral bodies to enable rapid surgery. The procedure was successful and the en bloc resection of the vertebral body with aortal resection could be achieved. Except for pallhypesthesia in the left dermatomes Th7-Th10, the patient does not have any postoperative neurologic deficits.ConclusionCombined corpectomy with aortic replacement should be considered as a reasonable option in the curative treatment of osteosarcoma with consideration of the immense surgical risks. The use of an HLM is not necessary, especially considering the inherent risk of hematogenous tumor metastases. Modified corpectomy leaving a dorsal vertebral body segment was considered a reasonable variation since tumor-free margins could still be expected.

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