No abstract

Myxopapillary ependymoma is a benign slow-growing tumour, arising predominantly in the region of the filum terminale. It has been designated histologically as grade I neoplasm according to the 2007 WHO classification. Despite this benign character dissemination and metastasis along the cerebrospinal axis and metastasis to distant sites have occasionally been reported. There have been previously reported cases of drop metastasis from MPE, however in three of these cases the drop metastasis was diagnosed with concurrent primary spinal MPE. There has been only one previously published case of interval drop metastasis in a case of operated spinal MPE in literature. We hereby present the second case of interval drop metastasis in a case of conus MPE, with history of having undergone a subtotal resection and post operative adjuvant radiotherapy prior to second surgery. The patient presented months after the primary surgery with symptoms of cauda equina syndrome attributable to the drop metastasis.

No abstract

Intraspinal epidermoid cyst is a rare tumor. The incidence in adults is lesser than 1% and in children lesser than 3%. Epidermoid cyst is predominantly seen at the dorsal spinal level. A large percentage of epidermoid cysts are intradural extramedullary. Intramedullary epidermal cysts are rarer, with about 70 cases reported in the literature. These may be congenital or acquired with known association with spinal dysraphism. We hereby report a case of thoracic epidermoid cyst in a 22-year-old male with an extramedullary exophytic component and intramedullary cyst with accompanying split cord malformation at the level of lesion.

Elevated skull fractures form a rare subset of compound skull fractures. Owing to the paucity of cases studied and reported, these fractures still remain an under-recognized entity. We attempt to highlight the incidence of these relatively rare presentations of head injury. We had prospectively studied eight cases of elevated skull fractures in a mixed population of adults (five patients) and pediatric age group (three patients). Patients were evaluated in terms of clinical presentation, mode and mechanism of injury, treatment options, and final outcome, highlighting the appropriate management strategies taken in each case. The injury in these patients was due to tangential impact of a heavy object or assault weapon. Compounding of the fracture externally and dural tears was an inconstant feature. Associated intracranial injuries were cerebral contusions and extradural hematomas. An initial conservative therapy was given to all pediatric patients while adult patients underwent explorative craniectomy and evacuation of hematoma. Although an unusual presentation of skull fractures, elevated skull fractures warrant an early diagnosis, careful clinical evaluation, and prompt surgical therapy (whenever needed) for a successful outcome.