Neuroradiological features of cervical and cervicothoracic intraspinal subependymomas: a study of five cases

Abstract

To characterize the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in a series of five patients with cervical and cervicothoracic intraspinal subependymomas and to increase awareness of this neoplasm. The clinical and radiological profiles of five patients who were diagnosed with subependymoma based on histopathological findings were retrospectively studied and compared with previously reported cases. All patients underwent enhanced MRI. One patient presented with a subependymoma of the cervical spine, one patient harboured a thoracic spinal subependymoma, and the other patients presented with cervicothoracic subependymomas. All lesions were hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images. One lesion grew centrally, whereas the others demonstrated eccentricity. Partially faint enhancement was noted in four cases, and one case demonstrated multinodular moderate enhancement. Cervical and cervicothoracic intraspinal subependymomas can be distinguished on MRI images. Specifically, a faintly enhanced or non-enhanced heterogeneous intramedullary lesion that exhibits a slowly deteriorating clinical course may be indicative of a subependymoma. In such cases, resection is expected to yield favourable outcomes.