Summary
We present a rare case of a solitary dumbbell intra- and extramedullary schwannoma
of the thoracic spine in a 54-year-old man without signs of von Recklinghausen’s disease.
The patient presented with motor weakness in the left lower extremity, bilateral sensory
impairment below the T9 dermatome and rectovesical dysfunction. Preoperative magnetic
resonance imaging was suspicious for an intradural extramedullary tumor. At operation,
the tumor was located posteriorly, at the midline, with no relationship to the posterior
nerve roots and was firm and adherent to the adjacent spinal cord, which surrounded
the intramedullary portion of the tumor. The intramedullary mass was completely removed
with sharp dissection after removal of the extramedullary mass. Surgery resulted in
minimal postoperative neurological deficits. These tumors may arise from the Schwann
cells of the nerve plexus surrounding vessels in the posterior median sulcus and thus
may grow in both an intra- and extramedullary fashion. The optimal treatment of these
schwannomas is total removal.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
June 17,
2004
Received:
April 30,
2004
Identification
Copyright
© 2005 Elsevier Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
