Giant Cell Tumour of Clivus: A Rare Case Report

Abstract

Giant Cell Tumours (GCT) of the skull is rare, being less than 0.05% of all skeletal tumours. They are usually located in the middle cranial fossa affecting the temporal, sphenoid, petrosal and occipital bone. Clival GCT is rarer and 15 cases are described in the literature. Authors report a case of a female patient aged 20 years, who complained of headache with decrease in vision of left eye. Neurological examination revealed left optic nerve palsy. Laboratory test of Vitamin B12, blood urea, Serum Creatinine, Serum Electrolytes were within normal range. Complete blood count showed mild anaemia. The serum calcium and parathyroid hormones were within normal range. Computed Tomography (CT) scan and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) were done, which demonstrated expansile destructive lytic lesion involving sphenoid bone and clivus, reaching upto sellar, parasellar regions, sphenoid sinus and left posterior ethmoid sinus, effacing left optic foramina and posteriorly effacing prepontine cistern. The left internal carotid artery was partially encased by the mass. The tumour was partially removed by endoscopic trans-nasal trans-sphenoidal approach. Histopathology confirmed it as a benign GCT. Surgical treatment of clival GCTs are fraught with complication because of its close proximity to vital structures. High vascularity, potential malignant behaviour, inaccessibility and very few published cases preclude a definite outcome of this lesion. Histopathology is necessary to differentiate various lytic lesion like chordoma, aneurysmal bone cyst, invasive pituitary adenoma, chondrosarcoma and brown tumour (parathyroidism).

Keywords

• left optic nerve palsy
• osteoclastoma
• skull base tumour