Abstract:

Background: Spinal dumbbell tumors are tumors that grow over the constricted intervertebral foramen from the intraspinal canal to the extraspinal region. The surgical technique for dumbbell tumors in the cervical spine is still up for debate.



Aim: To detect the proper management in cases with subaxial cervical dumbbell shaped tumors with satisfactory results regarding tumor excision and postoperative cervical spine stability.



Methods: Patients with dumbbell schwannomas in the subaxial cervical spine who were hospitalized to Cairo University hospitals' department of neurosurgery and had surgery between January 2019 and January 2021 were evaluated retrospectively.



Results: 6 patients with subaxial cervical dumbbell shaped tumors underwent surgery via a posterior approach for tumor excision and fusion in 2 years. We reported the clinical improvement of 3 cases, 2 cases had stationary course and only one case showed mild immediate postoperative deterioration then improved one month later on. We reported no vascular injury or mortality in our study.



Conclusions: For the excision of dumbbell schwannomas in the subaxial cervical spine, one-stage posterior hemi- or laminectomy with facetectomy appears to be a feasible and effective option. The tumor could be safely and fully excised in the majority of cases.