Sacral Chordoma: A Pitfall in Surgical Management

Chordomas are rare primary, locally invasive tumour of the bone which derived from notochordal remnants. Currently, the mainstay of treatment of chordomas is surgical resection. Despite the clear advantages of adequate surgical margin, the locally advanced nature of chordomas makes wide resection of the tumour difficult as they are often in close proximity with the surrounding vital organs. The published literatures of sacral chordomas mainly focus on the approach of surgery, reconstruction post-resection, long-term survival and reports on successful surgical resection. We report a case which highlights the pitfall in the surgical management of a sacral chordoma. Our patient developed delayed bowel perforation which may be associated with the sacrum osteotomy.   Keywords: chordoma; sacrum; surgery; pitfall; outcome.