A rare case of intraosseous benign notochordal cell tumor of the coccyx

This article presents a case of a 53-year-old woman who presented with intermittent, dull, poorly localized lower back and buttock pain. The pain worsened in a seated position or after long periods of standing. A T1-weighted magnetic resonance image (MRI) of the sacrum and coccyx revealed a well-demarcated intraosseous lesion with homogeneous low signal intensity, while T2-weighted MRIs demonstrated homogeneous high signal intensity. An excisional biopsy revealed benign notochord cell tumor. The biopsy proved to be effective, as it relieved the patient's coccydynia. Due to the rarity of intraosseous benign notochordal cell tumors, it is essential to document and review this type of tumor. Only 2 benign notochordal cell tumors involving the coccyx have been previously reported, both of which presented with the same clinical symptoms of chronic coccydynia as our patient, likely due to the location of the involved lesion. The other leading diagnosis in our patient was chordoma, a malignant and locally aggressive neoplasm that is important to consider and exclude. Although chordomas have been well characterized in the surgery, pathology, and radiology literature, the benign notochordal cell tumor is a relative newcomer. Copyright ® 2009 SLACK Incorporated. All rights reserved.