TY - JOUR
T1 - Resection of a conus medullaris hemangioblastoma
T2 - Case report
AU - Alvarez, Reinier
AU - Mastorakos, Panagiotis
AU - Chittiboina, Prashant
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020
PY - 2021/3
Y1 - 2021/3
N2 - Background: Conus medullaris tumors are rare, as the majority of all spinal cord tumors occur in the cervical and thoracic regions. Hemangioblastomas of the spinal cord account for 3%–4% of all intramedullary spinal cord tumors and can be sporadic or associated with von Hippel-Lindau disease. There are only fourteen cases of conus medullaris hemangioblastomas published in the literature, herein we present the fifteenth. Case description: A 44-year old male with von Hippel Lindau disease presented with worsening bilateral lower extremity weakness, gait imbalance as well as absent perineal and genital sensation with weak voluntary anal contraction. MRI demonstrated multiple stable spinal tumors and a 6 mm conus medullaris hemangioblastoma with growth and a new peri-tumoral cyst. The patient underwent uncomplicated surgical resection with appreciable improvement in perineal sensation and sphincteric control during post-operative course. Conclusions: Timely resection of conus medullaris tumors can provide symptomatic relief and prevent the progression of devastating neurological deficits. Careful microsurgical dissection with appropriate patient selection allows for safe resection of conus medullaris tumors.
AB - Background: Conus medullaris tumors are rare, as the majority of all spinal cord tumors occur in the cervical and thoracic regions. Hemangioblastomas of the spinal cord account for 3%–4% of all intramedullary spinal cord tumors and can be sporadic or associated with von Hippel-Lindau disease. There are only fourteen cases of conus medullaris hemangioblastomas published in the literature, herein we present the fifteenth. Case description: A 44-year old male with von Hippel Lindau disease presented with worsening bilateral lower extremity weakness, gait imbalance as well as absent perineal and genital sensation with weak voluntary anal contraction. MRI demonstrated multiple stable spinal tumors and a 6 mm conus medullaris hemangioblastoma with growth and a new peri-tumoral cyst. The patient underwent uncomplicated surgical resection with appreciable improvement in perineal sensation and sphincteric control during post-operative course. Conclusions: Timely resection of conus medullaris tumors can provide symptomatic relief and prevent the progression of devastating neurological deficits. Careful microsurgical dissection with appropriate patient selection allows for safe resection of conus medullaris tumors.
KW - Conus medullaris
KW - Hemangioblastoma
KW - Intramedullary spinal cord tumor
KW - Von Hippel Lindau
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U2 - 10.1016/j.inat.2020.100904
DO - 10.1016/j.inat.2020.100904
M3 - Article
C2 - 33457210
AN - SCOPUS:85091371997
SN - 2214-7519
VL - 23
JO - Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery: Advanced Techniques and Case Management
JF - Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery: Advanced Techniques and Case Management
M1 - 100904
ER -