1.Ventral Schwannoma of the Thoracolumbar Spine.
Hitoshi YAMAHATA ; Satoshi YAMAGUCHI ; Masanao MORI ; Fumikatsu KUBO ; Hiroshi TOKIMURA ; Kazunori ARITA
Asian Spine Journal 2013;7(4):339-344
We report two patients with ventral schwannoma in the thoracolumbar region manifesting as low back pain with or without paraparesis. In both patients magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a heterogeneously-enhanced intradural extramedullary mass in the thoracolumbar region. The tumors were successfully removed via the posterior approach. Their histology was consistent with schwannoma. Postoperative MRI showed no evidence of a tumor in either patient. Spinal schwannomas are common benign intradural extramedullary spinal neoplasms; most arise from the dorsal- and very few from the anterior roots. A literature review revealed that ventral schwannomas, including giant tumors as in the one from case 2 in our study, affect mainly the cervical region, and most are surgically addressed via the posterior approach. Careful handling of the spinal cord is mandatory for satisfactory surgical results.
Humans
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Low Back Pain
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Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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Neurilemmoma*
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Paraparesis
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Spinal Cord
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Spinal Neoplasms
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Spine*