- Department of Neurosurgery, Illinois Neurological Institute, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria, Illinois
Correspondence Address:
Jay A. Vachhani
Department of Neurosurgery, Illinois Neurological Institute, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria, Illinois
DOI:10.4103/2152-7806.98525
Copyright: © 2012 Vachhani JA. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.How to cite this article: Vachhani JA, Fassett DR. Intramedullary neurenteric cyst associated with a tethered spinal cord: Case report and literature review. Surg Neurol Int 14-Jul-2012;3:80
How to cite this URL: Vachhani JA, Fassett DR. Intramedullary neurenteric cyst associated with a tethered spinal cord: Case report and literature review. Surg Neurol Int 14-Jul-2012;3:80. Available from: http://sni.wpengine.com/surgicalint_articles/intramedullary-neurenteric-cyst-associated-with-a-tethered-spinal-cord-case-report-and-literature-review/
Abstract
Background:Neurenteric cysts are benign tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) that represent 0.3% to 0.5% of all spinal cord tumors. They are usually extramedullary and found in the lower cervical and thoracic spine. Only 12.2% of neurenteric cysts are documented to be intramedullary.
Case Description:The authors report a case of a 35-year-old female that presented with progressive weakness and loss of coordination in her legs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an intramedullary cystic lesion in the thoracolumbar region and a low-lying conus medullaris suggesting tethered cord. The patient was taken to the operating room for detethering of her spinal cord and resection of the lesion. Pathologic examination of the tissue confirmed the diagnosis of a neurenteric cyst.
Conclusion:A search of the literature since the advent of MRI showed 29 published cases of intramedullary neurentic cysts. Of the 24 published cases with a follow-up MRI, the average recurrence rate was 25% with a mean follow up of 51 months.
Keywords: Intramedullary, neurenteric cyst, tethered spinal cord
INTRODUCTION
Neurenteric cysts, also known as enterogenous cysts or endodermal cysts, are benign tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) which are thought to represent 0.3% to 1.3% of all spinal cord tumors.[
Since the advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it has become possible to diagnose these lesions preoperatively. On T2-weighted imaging, the cysts are hyperintense and display minimal or no enhancement on T1 postcontrast imaging. Typically, the cysts are intradural/extramedullary (78.6%) and usually arise from the cervical, cervicothoraric, and thoracic spine (73.6%).[
This case is unique because the patient presented at the age of 35 with an intramedullary neurenteric cyst in the thoracolumbar spine and a tethered spinal cord. In this paper, we will discuss the treatment of this patient as well as a review of all published literature on patients with intramedullary neurenteric cysts since the advent of MRI.
CASE REPORT
Presentation
A 35-year-old female presented with weakness in both legs and loss of coordination over the last year. She had some numbness and burning from her feet to her knees bilaterally and intermittent episodes of bladder incontinence.
Examination
On examination, she had no cranial nerve deficits and strength and sensation were normal in both upper extremities. She had bilateral lower extremity weakness, grade 3/5 in both dorsiflexors, and 4/5 in all other muscle groups. Her reflexes were 1+ at the knees and ankles with a very wide-based antalgic gait.
Imaging characteristics
MRI of the spine was performed which showed a cystic dilation of her distal cord near T12-L1 that had a similar intensity to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and no contrast enhancement. The cord also appeared to be low lying and terminated at the level of L3 [Figures
Operation
A laminectomy was performed from T11 to L1 and L5 to S1. Initial attention was focused at the L5-S1 level where an intradural dissection was performed and the filum terminale was indentified, cauterized, and sectioned. After release of the tethered cord, the dura was opened from T11 to L1 and the spinal cord was visualized with an intraoperative microscope. A midline myelotomy was performed and a firm capsule was encountered within the cord. The cyst capsule was incised to internally decompress the cyst and allow for resection while minimizing trauma to the normal surrounding spinal cord. A milky white fluid was expressed upon opening the cyst. Microsurgical resection of the cyst capsule was performed while closely monitoring motor evoked potentials (MEP) and somatosenory evoked potentials (SSEP). A large portion of the cyst wall was resected, but a complete resection was aborted after an 80% decrease in MEP.
Postoperative course
The patient awoke with increased weakness, in comparison to her preoperative exam, with 2/5 hip flexors, 3/5 knee extensors, 1/5 knee flexors, and absent dorsiflexors, and plantar flexors. Her neurological function gradually improved over the next four weeks. With rehabilitation, her strength and coordination improved with the exception of her left dorsiflexors, which remained 3/5 strength.
Pathological examination
Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed multiple irregular cystic spaces lined by epithelium [
DISCUSSION
Intramedullary neurenteric cysts are thought to represent 12.2% of all neurenteric cysts. In the published pediatric literature, the cervical spine was the most common presenting location (36%).[
The treatment options for intramedullary neurenteric cysts remain controversial. Most authors advocate total resection when possible.[
In the current published literature, the overall recurrence rate for neurenteric cysts after surgical resection varies from 11.6% to 37%.[
Tethered cord syndrome has been reported in association with neurenteric cysts.[
CONCLUSIONS
Intramedullary neurenteric cysts are extremely rare spinal cord lesions that are benign in nature. We report a case of an intramedullary neurenteric cyst in the thorocolumbar region with an associated tethered cord. There are 29 cases in the published literature since the advent of MRI and of the cases with a follow-up MRI, the overall recurrence rate was found to be 25%.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors acknowledge Dr. Meena Gujrati for providing digital copies of the patient's pathology slides and Joanna Fleckenstein for her assistance in proof reading and editing.
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