An unusual progression of benign thoracic spinal cord teratoma in pregnancy: a hormonally-mediated pathway?

Intradural spinal cord teratoma is a very rare tumour that can be associated with dysraphism. The relationship of this lesion to pregnancy is unknown and its occurrence during pregnancy in the thoracic spine has not been previously reported. We report a 19-year-old pregnant woman with spinal dysraph...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British Journal of Neurosurgery 2006, Vol.20 (2), p.106-108
Main Authors: Kumar, V., Peng, E. W. K., Kurian, K. M., Smith, C., Fitzpatrick, M. O., Whittle, I. R.
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Dysraphism
pregnancy
teratoma
thoracic spine
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Summary:Intradural spinal cord teratoma is a very rare tumour that can be associated with dysraphism. The relationship of this lesion to pregnancy is unknown and its occurrence during pregnancy in the thoracic spine has not been previously reported. We report a 19-year-old pregnant woman with spinal dysraphism, who presented with a new onset thoracic myelopathy. The MRI scan showed an intradural, extramedullary lesion with solid and cystic component in the thoracic spine at the level of T5 - T6. A thoracic laminectomy and excision of this lesion was followed by significant improvement of her lower limb function. Histopathology confirmed a benign mature teratoma. The rapid progression of this lesion during pregnancy suggests a hormonal mediated pathway for the tumour growth. Further analysis from the resected specimen confirmed that the tumour was oestrogen and progesterone receptors positive.
ISSN:0268-8697
1360-046X
DOI:10.1080/02688690600682655