Neurologia medico-chirurgica
Online ISSN : 1349-8029
Print ISSN : 0470-8105
ISSN-L : 0470-8105
Case Reports
Intramedullary Schwannoma of the Conus Medullaris Complicated by Dense Adhesion to Neural Tissue
—Case Report—
Tatsuya OHTONARINobuharu NISHIHARATaisei OTAShinzo OTATsunemaro KOYAMA
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JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS

2009 Volume 49 Issue 11 Pages 536-538

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Abstract

A 29-year-old man presented with an intramedullary schwannoma of the conus medullaris manifesting as an 8-month history of mild bladder dysfunction, sexual impotence, and paresthesia in the buttocks. Subtotal removal of the lesion was achieved, as part of the tumor showed dense adhesion to the rostral neural tissue, with only postoperative transient deterioration of bladder dysfunction. Intramedullary schwannoma, especially involving the conus medullaris and the proximal spinal cord, is relatively rare and the pathogenesis and pathophysiology are unclear. Complete resection is often advised to avoid recurrence, but tumor adhesion to neural tissue sometimes renders complete resection difficult, and may create the risk of unacceptable operative morbidity. The present case shows that transient neurological deterioration may occur even with just subtotal removal, leaving the adherent part. Therefore, recognition of the particular features and the strategy for treatment in intramedullary schwannoma of the conus medullaris is essential for making appropriate decisions on the degree of removal.

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© 2009 by The Japan Neurosurgical Society

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons [Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International] license.
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