{"id":"e10725e5-cd1e-41d6-9604-d16b26d270e9","slug":"sni-17-497","title":"Surgical outcomes of primary pediatric spinal cord tumors: A retrospective cohort","authors":["Abrahim Danish Durrani","Ahsan Ahmad","Fareeha Nisar","Rabeet Tariq","Saqib Kamran Bakhshi","Muhammad Shahzad Shamim"],"abstract":"Background: Pediatric primary spinal cord tumors are rare, accounting for approximately 6% of central nervous system neoplasms. Most published data come from high-income countries (HICs) with access to early diagnosis, intraoperative monitoring, and specialized neuro-oncology units. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), diagnostic and therapeutic resources are limited. This report summarizes the first cohort of pediatric cases from Pakistan, highlighting surgical outcomes and systemic challenges in a resource-constrained setting. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients ≤18 years who underwent surgery for primary pediatric spinal tumors at a tertiary hospital in Karachi (2008–2025). Demographics, presentation, tumor location and compartment, histopathology, extent of resection, postoperative complications, adjuvant therapy status, mortality, recurrence/progression, and follow-up outcomes were extracted from records. Results: Nineteen children were included (11 female; median age, 12 years). Lower-limb weakness (n= 11) and back pain (n= 7/15 with available data) were the most common presentations, with a median diagnostic delay of 90 days. Tumors were most often lumbar (n= 6), cervical (n= 5), or thoracic (n= 5). Among 13 patients with documented compartment data, 7 tumors were intramedullary, 4 were extramedullary/intradural or paramedullary, and 2 were intradural without further compartment specification. Ependymoma (n= 5) and astrocytoma (n= 4) predominated. Gross total resection (GTR) was documented in 10 patients and maximal safe/subtotal resection (MSR/STR) in 7. Postoperative complications were documented in 2/16 patients with available data. At the last follow-up, 5/12 patients with neurological follow-up improved, 5 remained stable, and 2 worsened. Mortality was documented in 5/17 patients with survival status available patient had recurrence after GTR, and 1 had progression after MSR/STR. Conclusion: Surgical management of pediatric primary spinal tumors in an LMIC tertiary center was feasible, with limited documented perioperative morbidity after data correction. However, small sample size, missing event-level data, and a short median follow-up of 4 months limit interpretation of recurrence, progression-free status, and mortality. Earlier diagnosis, standardized surveillance, multidisciplinary review, rehabilitation, infection prevention, and improved access to adjuvant therapy may help strengthen care pathways in resource-constrained settings.","thumbnailUrl":"https://sni-digital-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/sni-17-497/figures/SNI-17-497-g001.jpg","publishDate":"2026-09-04T00:00:00.000Z","doi":"10.25259/SNI_325_2026","categories":["Pediatric Neurosurgery","Original Article"],"fullTextUrl":"https://surgicalneurologyint.com/api/articles/e10725e5-cd1e-41d6-9604-d16b26d270e9/pdf"}