Congenital spinal tumor in a patient with encephalocele and hydrocephalus: a case report

Farid Radmanesh,Mostafa El Khashab,Farideh Nejat,Fatemeh Mahjoub

doi:10.1186/1752-1947-5-9

Abstract

IntroductionEncephalocele is a rare congenital abnormality of the central nervous system, where brain tissue protrudes from a defect in the skull. Some anomalies are associated with encephalocele. However, the association of spinal teratoma and encephalocele has not been reported in the English literature.Case presentationWe report the case of an Iranian girl with a history of encephalocele surgery, who, at the age of four years, developed an intramedullary spinal teratoma, and discuss the pathogenesis of this association.ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an association between encephalocele and spinal teratoma.

Highlights

Encephalocele is a rare congenital abnormality of the central nervous system, where brain tissue protrudes from a defect in the skull
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an association between encephalocele and spinal teratoma
Encephalocele refers to a group of rare congenital anomalies of the central nervous system (CNS), where brain tissue protrudes from a defect in the skull [1]

Summary

Introduction

Encephalocele refers to a group of rare congenital anomalies of the central nervous system (CNS), where brain tissue protrudes from a defect in the skull [1]. Case presentation A four-year old Iranian girl was referred to the neurosurgical department with severe back pain and motor regression. She was the second child of nonconsanguineous parents, and was delivered by elective Cesarean section due to being repeat. Spinal MRI revealed an intradural mass (Figure 1, Figure 2) extending from the T11 to T12 junction to the lower border of L2 vertebra. It was isointense on T1- and T2-weighted images, with a small piece of tissue on the dorsa of the mass, which was identified as lipoma.

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Discussion

Conclusion