Progressive Paraplegia Research Articles

Pyogenic spondylitis in the cervicothoracic junction with high-positioned aortic arch

The authors report the case of an 87-year-old woman who suffered from T1-2 pyogenic spondylitis resulting in progressive and severe paraplegia. Debridement and anterior manubrium-splitting fusion were difficult because a high-positioned aortic arch was very close to the infectious lesion. Because adequate intravenous antibiotic agents had nearly resolved the inflammation, the authors undertook anterior debridement and posterior fusion that involved costotransversectomy and the placement of a posterior cervical pedicle screw fixation system. At 1.5 years postoperatively, there were no signs of recurrent infection. Solid osseous union was documented, and the patient's paraplegia had improved. A high-positioned aortic arch will likely interfere with an anterior approach to the cervicothoracic junction. If adequate antibiotic therapy has successfully controlled the spinal infection, anterior debridement and posterior fusion can be conducted in cases involving such anatomical limitations.

Atypical Presentation of Sinus Histiocytosis With Massive Lymphadenopathy as an Epidural Spinal Cord Tumor

Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy is a benign lymphoproliferative disorder growing in frequency as awareness of the disease increases. Also known as Rosai-Dorfman disease, it typically presents as painless cervical lymphadenopathy with fever and malaise. A review of the literature reveals approximately 400 cases of extranodal involvement and approximately 44 cases of central nervous system involvement. Less than 10 of the reported central nervous system tumors have presented as an epidural spinal cord tumor. The authors describe the case of a 29-year-old woman with progressive paraplegia and leg pain. Magnetic resonance imaging of the thoracic spine revealed a tumor mass from T5 to T9. The tumor was resected, and the spinal column was stabilized with pedicle screw fixation and fusion. Postoperative treatment was initiated with radiation and physical rehabilitation. The following is a case report with literature review of the entity.

Clinical course of spontaneous spinal epidural haematoma mimicking Guillain‐Barré syndrome in a child: a case report and literature review

We describe a 9‐year‐old female with thoracic epidural haematoma. The clinical course simulated Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS) so intravenous immunoglobulin therapy was started at the paediatric clinic. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 3 days after admission showed thoracic epidural haematoma between T2 and T8. An emergency laminectomy was performed and the patient's neurological symptoms began to improve immediately after surgery and she made a full recovery during the 2 weeks of follow‐up. Time is a very important factor in achieving reversibility of symptoms of compressive cord lesions, such as spinal epidural haematoma, and MRI is mandatory for patients with progressive paraplegia, even though the signs and symptoms might suggest GBS.

Clinical course of spontaneous spinal epidural haematoma mimicking Guillain-Barré syndrome in a child: a case report and literature review

We describe a 9-year-old female with thoracic epidural haematoma. The clinical course simulated Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) so intravenous immunoglobulin therapy was started at the paediatric clinic. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 3 days after admission showed thoracic epidural haematoma between T2 and T8. An emergency laminectomy was performed and the patient's neurological symptoms began to improve immediately after surgery and she made a full recovery during the 2 weeks of follow-up. Time is a very important factor in achieving reversibility of symptoms of compressive cord lesions, such as spinal epidural haematoma, and MRI is mandatory for patients with progressive paraplegia, even though the signs and symptoms might suggest GBS.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in a Child Presenting with Acute Paraplegia: A Case Report

Spinal cord compression is a rare presentation of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Extradural location at onset is a rare but devastating event in pediatric oncology. The authors describe a girl with acute spinal cord compression due to epidural non-Hodgkin lymphoma, emphasizing the encouraging perspective for a complete recovery in children with this condition. A 5-year-old girl presented with pain followed by progressive hyposthenia and paraplegia after a trauma. CT scan and MRI showed homogeneous tissue extending from T2 to L4, occupying the entire vertebral canal and extending to the para- and peri-vertebral soft parts. Emergency surgical debulking was carried out through T6-L1 laminectomy. The patient began chemotherapy (LMB 89 Protocol) and the tumor quickly disappeared. The patient is maintaining a complete remission 42 months after diagnosis. Significant results may be obtained with the chemotherapy treatment of epidural non-Hodgkin lymphoma when the disease is promptly diagnosed. Considering the effectiveness of chemotherapy, the authors believe that a neuro-surgical approach should be employed only when rapid worsening of symptoms is observed or for diagnostic purpose.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in a Child Presenting with Acute Paraplegia: A Case Report

Spinal cord compression is a rare presentation of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Extradural location at onset is a rare but devastating event in pediatric oncology. The authors describe a girl with acute spinal cord compression due to epidural non-Hodgkin lymphoma, emphasizing the encouraging perspective for a complete recovery in children with this condition. A 5-year-old girl presented with pain followed by progressive hyposthenia and paraplegia after a trauma. CT scan and MRI showed homogeneous tissue extending from T2 to L4, occupying the entire vertebral canal and extending to the para- and peri-vertebral soft parts. Emergency surgical debulking was carried out through T6-L1 laminectomy. The patient began chemotherapy (LMB 89 Protocol) and the tumor quickly disappeared. The patient is maintaining a complete remission 42 months after diagnosis. Significant results may be obtained with the chemotherapy treatment of epidural non-Hodgkin lymphoma when the disease is promptly diagnosed. Considering the effectiveness of chemotherapy, the authors believe that a neuro-surgical approach should be employed only when rapid worsening of symptoms is observed or for diagnostic purpose.

Extramedullary haemopoiesis in thalassemia intermedia presenting as paraplegia

Extramedullary haemopoiesis causing spinal cord compression is a rare manifestation of thalassemia. We describe a 17 year old male with thalassemia intermedia who presented with progressive paraplegia and sphincter disturbance. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an epidural lesion extending from T5 to T8 compressing the spinal cord. The patient recovered completely after surgical decompression with postoperative radiation therapy. Histological examination of the lesion confirmed the diagnosis of extramedullary haemopoiesis. Clinical awareness of this phenomenon with early treatment is essential for optimizing the neurological outcome.

Primary amyloidoma of the thoracic spine presenting with acute paraplegia

BACKGROUNDPrimary solitary amyloidoma of the spine is a rare disease characterized by localized deposition of amyloid. To the best of our knowledge, there have been only 14 cases previously reported in the literature. Patients with focal spinal amyloidoma usually have relatively long symptomatic periods preoperatively, ranging from 3 weeks to 6 years (mean: 12 months). Only two reported patients had acute paraplegia. We add a third case of a thoracic spine amyloidoma presenting with acute paraplegia.CASE DESCRIPTIONA 65-year-old man presented with a three-day history of progressive paraplegia and urinary retention. He was found to have severe cord compression at T2 on magnetic resonance imaging. He underwent emergent decompressive laminectomy with instrumentation for spinal stabilization. Histopathology revealed abundant amyloid deposits. A systemic work-up was negative for amyloidosis. The patient showed marked neurological improvement with residual mild spastic gait after 1 year.CONCLUSIONSPrimary spinal amyloidoma with acute paraplegia is rare. One-stage surgery combining prompt decompression and stabilization of the spinal column is mandatory in cases of spinal amyloidoma with acute myelopathy, because primary solitary amyloidoma carries a good prognosis.

Intramedullary Sarcoidosis Presenting as Incomplete Paraplegia: Case Report and Literature Review

Sarcoidosis is a chronic, multisystem noncaseating granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. Sarcoidosis typically presents clinically in individuals between the ages of 20 and 40 years. Although sarcoidosis most commonly affects the respiratory system, nearly any organ system can be involved. Spinal cord involvement by sarcoidosis is a rare event, occurring in less than 1% of patients with systemic disease. The case presented is that of a 29-year-old black male with benign past medical history who presented with a 6-week history of progressive incomplete paraplegia arid bowel dysfunction. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intramedullary mass at the T-4-T-5 levels. The patient underwent thoracic laminectomy and debulking of the mass. The pathology was consistent with granulomatous disease. Postoperatively, the patient was placed on prednisone. He subsequently received comprehensive inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and at present is bowel and bladder continent and ambulating at community levels with a rolling walker. The diagnosis of sarcoidosis; potential treatment options, including debulking and long-term steroid use; and prognosis will be discussed.

Anterior lumbosacral radiculopathy after intrathecal methotrexate treatment

Intrathecal chemotherapy with methotrexate or cytosine arabinoside is the standard approach to prophylaxis and treatment of central nervous system leukemia in children. Progressive paraplegia, one of the devastating neurologic complications related to this mode of treatment, has been attributed to spinal cord toxicity. Reported are three children who developed progressive paraparesis after intrathecal methotrexate administration followed by complete or partial recovery. Gadolinium enhancement of anterior lumbosacral spinal nerve roots was demonstrated in all three patients, and an elevation of cerebrospinal fluid immunoglobulin G synthesis was evident in two patients with more severe symptoms. The clinical data suggest that anterior lumbosacral radiculopathy is also a type of neurologic complication associated with intrathecal methotrexate treatment.

Identical twins with mental retardation, dysarthria, progressive spastic paraplegia, and brachydactyly type E: a new syndrome or variant of Fitzsimmons‐Guilbert syndrome?

Identical twins with mental retardation, dysarthria, progressive spastic paraplegia, and brachydactyly type E: a new syndrome or variant of Fitzsimmons‐Guilbert syndrome?

Epithelioid Hemangioma and Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma

55% of all tumorous intraspinal CNS-lesions are found extradurally. Epithelioid hemangiomas (EH) and epithelioid hemangioendotheliomas (EHE) are rare vascular formations of mesenchymal origin which occur in the skin, all parenchymal organs and also infrequently in vertebral bodies. This case report describes the morphological findings in CT, MR and angiography in correlation to the histopathological examination in 3 patients and their clinical course. Patient 1: 76 yr., progressive paraplegia, initial diagnosis: hemangioma T8 with intraspinal portions. Partial resection and histopathological diagnosis EH; embolisation and re-operation with complete resection. Patient 2: 56 yr., ataxia, initial diagnosis: metastasis with osteolytic destruction T2 and intraspinal tumor. Complete resection, histopathological diagnosis: EH. Patient 3: 71 yr., osteolytic destruction T2, initial diagnosis: metastasis/tonsillary carcinoma. Complete resection, histopathological diagnosis: EHE. CT generally reveals osteolytic and soft tissue signs but MR (T1- and T2-weighted, contrast media uptake) presents varying results. EH and EHE as possibly malignant structures cannot be differentiated radiologically from each other and other vascularized masses. Embolisation prior to complete resection is helpful. EHE can furthermore metastasize lymphatically.

Dermoid cyst with dermal sinus tract complicated with spinal subdural abscess

Spinal subdural abscess caused by spread of infection with the dermal sinus tract is rare in children. This article reports on a 1-year-old male with prolonged fever, progressive paraplegia, and bowel and bladder dysfunction resulting from a spinal subdural abscess secondary to an infected spinal dermoid cyst with a dermal sinus tract. This is the youngest patient to be reported having this condition. Surgical intervention was performed to find a tumor that had capsule and keratinlike contents. Culture of the abscess was positive for Escherichia coli and Bacteroides vulgatus. He received 6 weeks of parenteral antibiotic treatment. This patient illustrates the importance of urgent radiologic examination, immediate surgical resection, and appropriate antibiotic therapy for spinal subdural abscess.

Extraosseous, epidural tumour spread of multiple myeloma

* Corresponding author, Tel.: +31 7071 295391; Fax: +31 7071 295392. Usually MM is a widespread and multicentric disease, with the most common localisation being the spine [1,3]. Therefore, collapse of vertebral bodies with narrowing of the spinal canal and circumscribed tumour extension into the adjacent epidural space is a common complication of the disease and ranks second only to metastatic carcinoma as the initial cause of paraplegia [1]. We report the MRI findings in an unusual case of MM with progressive paraplegia due to a large epidural and extraosseus manifestation without evidence of destruction or collapse of vertebral bodies.

Anatomical distribution of HTLV‐I proviral sequence in an autopsy case of HTLV‐I associated myelopathy: A polymerase chain reaction study

HTLV-I associated myelopathy (HAM) is a slowly progressive paraplegia of the lower extremities observed among HTLV-I carriers. An autopsy of a typical HAM case in which perivascular lymphocytic infiltration was not limited to the central nervous system was examined. Spinal dorsal roots, salivary gland, lungs, liver and kidney showed non-specific, but unusual sporadic perivascular lymphocytic infiltration, which resembled the findings in the spinal cord. To investigate the anatomical distribution of HTLV-I provirus, the HTLV-I proviral sequences, tax and pol, were amplified from the formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of the autopsy case using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). By PCR, strong HTLV-I provirus signals were detected in the spinal cord, peripheral nerve, muscle, lungs and liver. Weak signals were detected in the medulla oblongata, optic nerve and lymph node, while the other organs, including the cerebrum, were negative. The data from this study show the specific distribution of HTLV-I provirus in the distinct organs of a HAM patient.

Angiographic demonstration of a spinal epidural arteriovenous malformation

A 16-year-old boy presented with acute midline thoracic pain followed by rapidly progressive paraplegia. The initial neurological examination demonstrated a complete sensory and motor paraplegia, which significantly improved spontaneously over the following 2 days. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a posterior epidural hematoma extending from the T-4 to T-6 vertebrae, and spinal angiography demonstrated an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) with a nidus of abnormal epidural vessels at the level of the T-5 vertebra, which was confirmed surgically. This case represents one of the first reports of a spinal epidural AVM confirmed by angiography.

Destructive spondyloarthropathy presenting with progressive paraplegia in a dialysis patient. Recovery after surgical spinal cord decompression and parathyroidectomy

Destructive spondyloarthropathy presenting with progressive paraplegia in a dialysis patient. Recovery after surgical spinal cord decompression and parathyroidectomy

Intramedullary Epidermoid Associated with an Intramedullary Spinal Abscess Secondary to a Dermal Sinus

Intramedullary spinal abscesses are rare and potentially devastating lesions. A heightened clinical awareness of patients at risk is essential for an early diagnosis and intervention to improve the prognosis of these patients. The first case of spinal abscess was described in 1830, and only 63 cases have been reported subsequently. Intraspinal epidermoids also are unusual lesions. These tumors were reported first in 1829 and represent less than 1% of all intraspinal tumors. We present a case of a 2-year-old girl who had rapidly progressive paraplegia with urinary and bowel retention and was found to have an intramedullary epidermoid and an intramedullary abscess as a result of a dermal sinus. The association of an intramedullary abscess and epidermoid tumor, two rare lesions, has not been reported previously. We also review the literature related to both intramedullary epidermoids and intramedullary abscesses of the spinal cord. Advances in sectional imaging as described should help lead to an early and safe diagnosis of these rare but often debilitating lesions. This case illustrates the importance of a complete neurological assessment of all patients with a congenital dermal sinus because of the potential for intradural extension and the frequent association with other dysraphic abnormalities. Prophylactic surgery is indicated in many cases to prevent dangerous and recurrent infections of the central nervous system.

Treatment of encephalomyelitis due toNeospora caninumin a litter of puppies

ABSTRACTA case of encephalomyelitis and polyradiculoneuritis caused by the protozoan parasiteNeospora caninumis described in a 17‐week‐old bloodhound puppy exhibiting progressive paraplegia, Exposure of the dam and litter toN caninumwas confirmed by serological testing for specific antibodies. A successful treatment regimen was employed in a littermate, and in two puppies from a subsequent litter from the same dam, all showing ataxia and hindlimb proprioceptive deficits.

Spinal intradural hydatid cyst in a child

Hydatid disease is an infestation by the larval stages of Echinococcus granulosus. In man, the liver and lungs are the organs most frequently involved. In the spinal column, hydatid disease usually begins in the vertebral body. Extension into the spinal canal results in spinal cord compression. Intradural hydatid cyst is extremely rare compared with the other types of spinal hydatid lesions (Rayport et al, 1964; Ley & Marti, 1970; Pamir et al, 1984). A 6-year-old boy was admitted to hospital because of progressive paraplegia, which had started 2 months previously. He was said to have lost bladder and bowel control in the last few weeks. Physical examination revealed marked reduction in the motor power of the lower limbs. There was bilateral clonus, a positive Babinski's sign and hyperactivity of the deep tendon reflexes at the lower extremities.