A 46 Year‐Old Woman with a Spinal Cord Mass

Abstract

A 46-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with chief complaint of numbness of right lower limb lasting 1 year as well as left leg ache lasting 5 months. The symptoms were gradually developing. There was no history of trauma, drug use or any physical exertion. Neurological examination confirmed sense of pain and temperature subsided in left upper limb, left side of body and right lower limb. Radiating pain happened at the left lap and rear waist, and the tendon reflex weakened slightly at left upper limb and right lower limb. A spinal MRI revealed a heterogeneous intensity enhancing 3.0×1.0×1.0 cm mass involving T5 through T7 (Figure 1a, b); it was hypointense on T1 ( Figure 1c) and hyperintense on T2-weighted sequences (Figure 1d). Short time inversion recovery (STIR) image showed minimal perilesional edema (Figure 1e). The patient subsequently underwent a near total tumour excision via T5-T7 laminectomy approach. Then she underwent craniospinal irradiation and temozolomide chemotherapy. Postoperative follow-up was uneventful with good control in 12 months.