Oncocytic paraganglioma of the cauda equina in a child: Case report and review of the literature

• Published in: Pediatric neurosurgery Vol. 36; no. 5; pp. 260 - 265
• Main Authors: Park, Dong Hyuk, Park, Youn Kwan, Oh, Jae In, Kwon, Taek Hyun, Chung, Hung Seob, Cho, Hyun Deuk, Suh, Yeon Lim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel Karger 01.05.2002; S. Karger AG
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cauda Equina - pathology; Cauda Equina - surgery; Child; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Medical sciences; Neurology; Paraganglioma - pathology; Paraganglioma - surgery; Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms - pathology; Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms - surgery; Tropical medicine; Tumors of the nervous system. Phacomatoses; Human; Immunohistochemistry; Nervous system diseases; Bibliographic survey; Paraganglioma; Exploration; Cauda equina; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Case study; Pathology; Diseases of the autonomic nervous system; Oncocyte; Medical imagery; Tumor; Spinal cord disease; Child
• ISSN: 1016-2291; 1423-0305
• DOI: 10.1159/000058430

The authors report a case of oncocytic paraganglioma of the cauda equina in a 12-year-old girl who presented with lower back and leg pain on the right side of 6 months' duration. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an ellipsoidal, intradural, extramedullary mass causing cord compression at the level of L1. Total laminectomy was performed on T12 and L1, and the tumor was excised completely without difficulty despite adherence of the tumor to the spinal cord. Postoperatively, the leg pain and motor weakness were much improved. The use of electron microscopy, and the immunohistochemical demonstration of synaptophysin in this tumor, allowed a confident diagnosis of an oncocytic paraganglioma to be made. To the authors' knowledge, this patient represents the first definite case of an oncocytic paraganglioma of the cauda equina in a child.