A deceptive cervical lymph node: a solitary spinal osteochondroma.

INTRODUCTION Osteochondroma of the cervical spine is an uncommon bony tumour. CLINICAL PICTURE We present a case which was misdiagnosed as a posterior cervical lymph node. The patient presented with a tender neck lump and was seen by two surgical departments. They eventually diagnosed it as an osteochondroma and referred the patient to our department. This exostosis arose from the lamina of C3 vertebra and extended posteriorly. The patient presented with persistent neck ache but had no neurological deficit. TREATMENT It was excised uneventfully. CONCLUSION From the literature review, this appears to be the first case where an exostosis arose from a spinal facet joint. A discussion of osteochondromas follows.