Cervical ventral epithelial cyst treated by anterior corpectomy--case report

A 15-year-old boy presented with a cervical ventral epithelial cyst manifesting as intractable cervical pain. Neurological examination revealed weakness of his left grasp and increased deep tendon reflexes. The anterior approach was selected because the lesion was located directly ventral to the spinal cord. He underwent C4-5 anterior corpectomy and subtotal resection of the cyst wall. He made a good recovery without additional deficits. Most previously reported cases have been treated using the posterior approach despite the ventral location of the lesion. The anterior approach offers a safer and more effective means of treating such lesions because it allows direct access to the lesion without manipulation of the spinal cord.