Multisegmental Versus Monosegmental Intramedullary Spinal Cord Ependymomas: Perioperative Neurological Functions and Surgical Outcomes

Author(s):  
Chenlong Yang ◽  
Jianjun Sun ◽  
Jingcheng Xie ◽  
Bin Liu ◽  
Tao Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: Multiple factors, such as tumor size, lateralization, tumor location, accompanying syringomyelia, and regional spinal cord atrophy, may affect the resectability and clinical prognosis of intramedullary spinal cord ependymomas. However, whether long-segmental involvement of the spinal cord may impair functional outcomes remains unclear. This study was aimed to compare perioperative neurological functions and long-term surgical outcomes between multisegmental ependymomas and their monosegmental counterparts.Methods: A total of 54 patients with intramedullary spinal cord ependymoma (WHO Grade II) were enrolled, and all of them underwent surgical resection. The patients were classified into the multisegmental group (n=40) and the monosegmental group (n=14). Perioperative and long-term (average follow-up period, 53.5 ± 18.2 months) neurological functions were evaluated using the modified McCormick (mMC) scale and the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) scoring system.Results: Preoperative neurological functions in the multisegmental group were significantly worse than those in the monosegmental group (P < 0.05). However, postoperative short-term neurological functions, as well as long-term functional outcomes, were similar between the two groups (P > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that only preoperative mMC and mJOA scores were significantly correlated with neurological improvement during the follow-up period (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Multisegmental involvement of the spinal cord is associated with worse neurological functions in patients with intramedullary spinal cord ependymoma, while the long-term prognosis is not affected. The preoperative neurological status of the patient is the only predictor of long-term functional improvement.

1992 ◽  
Vol 119 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 74-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Ferrante ◽  
L. Mastronardi ◽  
P. Celli ◽  
P. Lunardi ◽  
M. Acqui ◽  
...  

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric M. Horn ◽  
Peter Nakaji ◽  
Stephen W. Coons ◽  
Curtis A. Dickman

Spinal meningeal melanocytomas are rare lesions that are histologically benign and can behave aggressively, with local infiltration. The authors present their experience with intramedullary spinal cord melanocytomas consisting of 3 cases, which represents the second largest series in the literature. A retrospective chart review was performed following identification of all spinal melanocytomas treated at the author's institution, based on information obtained from a neuropathology database. The charts were reviewed for patient demographics, surgical procedure, clinical outcome, and long-term tumor progression. Three patients were identified in whom spinal melanocytoma had been diagnosed between 1989 and 2006. The patients' ages were 37, 37, and 48 years, and the location of their tumor was C1–3, T9–10, and T-12, respectively. All 3 had complete resection with no adjuvant radiotherapy during follow-up periods of 16, 38, and 185 months, respectively. One patient demonstrated a recurrence 29 months after resection and the other 2 patients have demonstrated asymptomatic recurrences on imaging studies obtained at 16 and 38 months following resection. With these cases added to the available literature, the evidence strongly suggests that complete resection is the treatment of choice for spinal melanocytomas. Even with complete resection, recurrences are common and close follow-up is needed for the long term in these patients. Radiation therapy should be reserved for those cases in which complete resection is not possible or in which there is recurrence.


2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-tao Liang ◽  
Yu-hai Bao ◽  
Hong-qi Zhang ◽  
Li-rong Huo ◽  
Zhen-yu Wang ◽  
...  

Object The authors conducted a study to assess the clinical pattern, radiological features, therapeutic strategies, and long-term outcomes in patients with intramedullary spinal cord cavernomas (ISCCs) based on a large case series. Methods This retrospective study identified 96 patients (60 males, 36 females) surgically (81 cases) or conservatively (15 cases) treated for ISCCs between May 1993 and November 2007. Each diagnosis was based on MR imaging and spinal angiography evidence. For all surgically treated patients, the diagnosis was verified pathologically. The neurological outcomes pre- and postoperatively, as well as long-term follow-up, were assessed using the Aminoff-Logue Disability Scale. Results The mean age at the onset of symptoms was 34.5 years (range 9–80 years). Of the lesions, 68 (71%) were located in the thoracic spine, 25 (26%) in the cervical spine, and only 3 (3%) in the lumbar spine. The median symptom duration was 19.7 months. The clinical behavior of the lesion was a slow progression in 73 cases and an acute decline in 23 cases. Long-term follow-up data (mean 45.8 months, range 10–183 months) were available for 75 patients (64 surgical cases and 11 conservative cases). In the surgical group, a complete resection was achieved in 60 patients, and incomplete resection was detected in 4 patients after operation. At the end of the follow-up period in the operative group, 23 patients (36%) improved, 35 (55%) remained unchanged, and 6 (9%) worsened. In the nonoperative group, 5 patients improved, 6 patients remained unchanged, and none worsened. Conclusions For differential diagnosis, spinal angiography was necessary in some cases. For most symptomatic lesions, complete microsurgical resection of the symptomatic ISCC is safe and prevents rebleeding and further neurological deterioration. However, in patients whose lesions were small and located ventrally in the spinal cord, one can also opt for a rigorous follow-up, considering the high surgical risk.


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. E21
Author(s):  
Gil Kimchi ◽  
Nachshon Knoller ◽  
Akiva Korn ◽  
Yahel Eyal-Mazuz ◽  
Yechiam Sapir ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE The use of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) has become an imperative adjunct to the resection of intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCTs). While the diagnostic utility of IONM during the immediate postoperative period has been previously studied, its long-term diagnostic accuracy has seldom been thoroughly assessed. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term variations in the diagnostic accuracy of transcranial motor evoked potentials (tcMEPs), somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs), and D-wave recordings during IMSCT excision. METHODS The authors performed a retrospective evaluation of imaging studies, patient charts, operative reports, and IONM recordings of patients who were operated on for gross-total or subtotal resection of IMSCTs at a single institution between 2012 and 2018. Variations in the specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for postoperative functional outcome (McCormick Scale) were analyzed at postoperative day 1 (POD1), 6 weeks postoperatively (PO-6 weeks), and at the latest follow-up. RESULTS Overall, 28 patients were included. The mean length of follow-up was 19 ± 23.4 months. Persistent motor attenuations occurred in 71.4% of the cohort. MEP was the most sensitive modality (78.6%, 87.5%, and 85.7% sensitivity at POD1, PO-6 weeks, and last follow-up, respectively). The specificity of the D-wave was the most consistent over time (100%, 83.35%, and 90% specificity at the aforementioned time points). The PPV of motor recordings decreased over time (58% vs 33% and 100% vs 0 for tcMEP and D-wave at POD1 and last follow-up, respectively), while their NPV consistently increased (67% vs 89% and 70% vs 100% for tcMEP and D-wave at POD1 and last follow-up, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The diagnostic accuracy of IONM in the resection of IMSCTs varies during the postoperative period. The decrease in the PPV of motor recordings over time suggests that this method is more predictive of short-term rather than long-term neurological deficits. The increasing NPV of motor recordings indicates a higher diagnostic accuracy in the identification of patients who preserve neurological function, albeit with an increased proportion of false-negative alarms for the immediate postoperative period. These variations should be considered in the surgical decision-making process when weighing the risk of resection-associated neurological injury against the implications of incomplete tumor resection.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-50
Author(s):  
Benju R Pradhan ◽  
Bal K Thapa

We experienced a case in which multiple spinal cord dissemination was found 6 years after resection of the fourth ventricle ependymoma. A 17-year-old boy had undergone a subtotal resection of the fourth ventricle ependymoma and radiation therapy to the posterior fossa when he was 12 years old. Follow up CT head detected no residual tumor until he complained of back pain and pain in right thigh 6 years after surgery. MRI revealed multiple mass at D10-12 and L2-3. He underwent laminectomy and excision of tumor. This case reminds us to the necessity for long term radiological follow up including the spinal cord even in benign ependymoma, although it is still not clear for how long and how often we should do it.Nepal Journal of Neuroscience 13:48-50, 2016


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Ren ◽  
Tao Hong ◽  
Chuan He ◽  
Xiaoyu Li ◽  
Yongjie Ma ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEOptimal surgical strategies for intramedullary spinal cord cavernous malformations (ISCCMs) are not optimized and remain problematic. In this study the authors identify rational surgical strategies for ISCCMs and predictors of outcomes after resection.METHODSA single-center study was performed with 219 consecutive surgically treated patients who presented from 2002 to 2017 and were analyzed retrospectively. The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale was used to evaluate neurological functions. Patient characteristics, surgical approaches, and immediate and long-term postoperative outcomes were identified.RESULTSThe average ISCCM size was 10.5 mm. The spinal level affected was cervical in 24.8% of patients, thoracic in 73.4%, and lumbar in 1.8%. The locations of the lesions in the horizontal plane were 30.4% ventral, 41.6% dorsal, and 28.0% central. Of the 214 patients included in the cohort for operative evaluation, 62.6% had superficially located lesions, while 37.4% were embedded. Gross-total resection was achieved in 98.1% of patients. The immediate postoperative neurological condition worsened in 10.3% of the patients. Multivariate logistic regression identified mild preoperative function (p = 0.014, odds ratio [OR] 4.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4–14.8) and thoracolumbar-level lesions (p = 0.01, OR 15.7, 95% CI 1.9–130.2) as independent predictors of worsening. The mean follow-up duration in 187 patients was 45.9 months. Of these patients, 63.1% were stable, 33.2% improved, and 3.7% worsened. Favorable outcomes were observed in 86.1% of patients during long-term follow-up and were significantly associated with preoperative mild neurological and disability status (p = 0.000) and cervically located lesions (p = 0.009). The depths of the lesions were associated with worse long-term outcomes (p = 0.001), and performing myelotomy directly through a yellowish abnormal surface in moderate-depth lesions was an independent predictor of worsening (p = 0.023, OR 35.3, 95% CI 1.6–756.3).CONCLUSIONSResection performed with an individualized surgical approach remains the primary therapeutic option in ISCCMs. Performing surgery in patients with mild symptoms at the thoracolumbar level and embedded located lesions requires more discretion.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-96
Author(s):  
Wittstatt Alexandra Whitaker-Lea ◽  
Robert Scott Graham ◽  
Jan Paul Muizelaar ◽  
Hope T. Richard

Ependymomas of the spinal cord remain confined to the CNS and vary in presentation, depending on WHO grade. Higher-grade lesions usually cannot be surgically removed due to their infiltrative growth pattern. Spinal cordectomy has been proposed as a rescue treatment to improve survival in patients with high-grade as well as recurrent lesions. This report details an instructive and unique case of long-term follow-up of a patient who underwent cordectomy from T-4 through S-5 for what was initially diagnosed as a high-grade glial neoplasm of the spinal cord in 1993. The patient lived symptom free for 13 years after spinal cord resection and then presented with numerous bilateral extraspinal (intraabdominal and intrathoracic) tumors, which eventually led to her death 15 years after the cordectomy. In this case, spinal cordectomy was effective in preventing the ascending spread of the neoplasm, but ultimately not effective in preventing recurrence in the plicated distal dural sac.


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 556-560
Author(s):  
Anne Morice ◽  
Sylvie Fraitag ◽  
Catherine Miquel ◽  
Christian Sainte Rose ◽  
Stéphanie Puget

Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a rare disease that belongs to the non-Langerhans cell histiocytoses. It presents a wide clinical spectrum, usually occurs before 5 years of age, and is commonly confined to the skin; however, it can affect multiple sites, including the nervous system, and can lead to severe disorders. Although JXG is a benign disease that usually regresses spontaneously, several curative treatments have been proposed in cases of organ involvement. Treatment options include corticosteroids, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy; however, these can have severe, long-term adverse effects in children.The authors here describe the first case of spontaneous resolution of an intramedullary spinal cord lesion of JXG associated with cerebral and cutaneous lesions in a young boy with 9 years of follow-up. The initial neurological symptoms resolved without any surgical or medical treatment. This case shows that extracutaneous lesions of JXG, including those with intramedullary spinal cord involvement, can regress without curative treatment—like cutaneous lesions—although both multidisciplinary care and close follow-up should be implemented.


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