Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society

The Korean Neurosurgical Society (대한신경외과학회)
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Intramedullary Subependymoma of the Thoracic Spinal Cord

  • Jang, Woo-Youl (Department of Neurosurgery, Chonnam National University, Medical School) ;
  • Lee, Jung-Kil (Department of Neurosurgery, Chonnam National University, Medical School) ;
  • Kim, Jae-Hyoo (Department of Neurosurgery, Chonnam National University, Medical School) ;
  • Kim, Soo-Han (Department of Neurosurgery, Chonnam National University, Medical School)
  • Published : 2006.05.30
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Abstract

An Intramedullary subependymoma of the spinal cord is a rare tumor with only 43 reported cases in the literature. Most of them are reported to be localized within the cervical spinal cord. We report a rare case of a thoracic spine intramedullary subependymoma in a 37-year-old female who presented with back pain and radiating leg pain. Subtotal resection and post-operative radiotherapy were performed. Subependymomas developing in the spinal cord are benign with a low proliferative potential. Complete resection of the tumor appears to be the optimal method for a complete cure. However aggressive surgery may cause severe neurological deficit. Therefore, if severe neurological deficits are expected after complete removal, a partial removal and postoperative radiation therapy is an alternative method for treatment in selected cases. A large-scale randomized study is mandatory to clarify the effectiveness of radiotherapy and to establish the recurrence rate and prognosis with respect to the surgical removal of these tumors.

Keywords

References

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