A rare case of intramedullary cervical spinal cord meningioma and review of the literature.

Abstract

Case report. Department of Neurosurgery, Imam Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Daneshgah Street, Tabriz, East Azerbayjan, Iran. A 21-year-old man presented with progressive paraesthesia and weakness in the four limbs, with disturbances in the vibration and positional senses. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cervical intramedullary tumour from the cervicomedullary junction to C3. Radical resection of the tumour was performed and histology revealed a meningioma. His clinical outcome after a 3-year follow-up is relatively good. Intramedullary cervical meningiomas are very rare and have been reported only five times before. Because of its tendency to recur after surgery and because of a possible aggressive behaviour, meticulous histopathological examination is mandatory to predict the evolution and plan the follow-up. Outcome is mainly related to the type of tumour and the complete removal.