Atypical lumbar intraspinal lipoma: case presentation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47924/neurotarget2009333Keywords:
spinal cord compression syndrome, epidural lipoma, magnetic resonance imaging, spinal tumorAbstract
Introduction. Adipose tissue normally makes part of the spinal canal, so lipomas could arise. Epidural lipomas are rare tumors and they clinically manifest as a syndrome of spinal cord or radicular compression, or both. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the rachis is the key for diagnosis because demonstrates the nature, localization and extent of the lesion related to spinal cord. Very often these tumors are surgically removable and have excellent prognosis for outcome. Histo-pathologically, they are described as mature cells of adipous tissue.
Case report. A 52 years old man consulting for lumbosciatic pain lasting during two years with periods of re-agudization, finally being continuous and invalidating when operated. His MRI imaging showed an abnormal tissue located at L4-L5 level and a congenital narrow lumbar canal. Four months after the surgical resection the patient is asymptomatic.
Conclusions. Spinal epidural lipomas are rare and benign tumors often presented as a radicular syn- drome. The case described in this paper is characterized by his relatively rapid evolution of two years and his uncharacteristic first MRI imaging. This entity must be present in surgeon’s mind because its treatment is surgical extirpation and its recovery is frequently complete whenever operated in the right time, like in the present case.
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Copyright (c) 2009 Juan Carlos M Andreani, Juan Pablo Canta Verbeke
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