Abstract
Spinal cord intramedullary lipomas are rare, comprising 2% of intramedullary tumours. They are more often associated with spinal dysraphism, while lipomas not associated with spinal dysraphism are even less frequent, accounting for 1% of cases. The pathogenesis of spinal cord intramedullary lipomas remains unclear. MRI is the gold standard for the evaluation of these lesions. We hereby present a case of a 37-year-old male, who underwent MRI due to spastic paraparesis. MRI revealed a bilocular, spinal cord intramedullary lesion at the level of T2–T5, with dilatation of the spinal canal and signal characteristics compatible with lipoma. There was no clear imaging evidence of spinal dysraphism. The patient underwent surgery and diagnosis was confirmed histopathologically.
Highlights
CLINICAL PRESENTATION A 37-year-old male presented with a 5-year history of intermittent thoracic back pain and gradually worsening gait disturbance, associated with pain and numbness, mainly in his right lower extremity
Spinal cord intramedullary lipomas are rare lesions accounting for 1% of all spinal masses and 2% of intramedullary tumours.[1]
Most of them are associated with spinal dysraphism such as spina bifida and lipomeningocele
Summary
CLINICAL PRESENTATION A 37-year-old male presented with a 5-year history of intermittent thoracic back pain and gradually worsening gait disturbance, associated with pain and numbness, mainly in his right lower extremity. DISCUSSION Spinal cord intramedullary lipomas are rare lesions accounting for 1% of all spinal masses and 2% of intramedullary tumours.[1] Most of them are associated with spinal dysraphism such as spina bifida and lipomeningocele. Spinal cord intramedullary lipomas without spinal dysraphism are extremely rare, accounting for 1% of cases.
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