Acute paraplegia revealing a hemorrhagic cauda equina paraganglioma

Khalil Ghedira; Nidhal Matar; Sofiene Bouali; Alia Zehani; Hafedh Jemel

doi:10.4103/ajns.AJNS_206_17

Asian Journal of Neurosurgery, Table of Contents

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Asian J Neurosurg 2019; 14(01): 245-248
DOI: 10.4103/ajns.AJNS_206_17

Case Report

Acute paraplegia revealing a hemorrhagic cauda equina paraganglioma

Khalil Ghedira

Department of Neurosurgery, Medicine School of Tunis, National Institute of Neurology, University of Tunis-El Manar, Tunis

,

Nidhal Matar

Department of Neurosurgery, Medicine School of Tunis, National Institute of Neurology, University of Tunis-El Manar, Tunis

,

Sofiene Bouali

Department of Neurosurgery, Medicine School of Tunis, National Institute of Neurology, University of Tunis-El Manar, Tunis

,

Alia Zehani

¹Department of Anatomic Pathology, Rabta Hospital, Medicine School of Tunis, University of Tunis-El Manar, Tunis

,

Hafedh Jemel

Department of Neurosurgery, Medicine School of Tunis, National Institute of Neurology, University of Tunis-El Manar, Tunis

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Cauda equina paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine benign and slow-growing tumors. Acute paraplegia, occurring because of sudden intratumoral hemorrhage, represents an extremely rare clinical picture of this disease. We report the case of a 64-year-old male presenting with a 5-day acute lower back pain, sciatica, and leg weakness. Spinal imaging showed an intradural mass of the cauda equina region and an emergent surgical treatment was achieved. The lesion was removed “en bloc,” and subarachnoid blood was noticed during surgery. The postoperative course was uneventful, with complete regression of pain and progressive motor recovery. The histological study revealed typical microscopic and immunohistochemical features of paragangliomas.

Key-words:

Acute - cauda equina - paraganglioma - paraplegia

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References

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