Intramedullary inflammatory mass dorsal to the Klippel-Feil deformity: error in development or response to an
R D Dickerman1, K O Colle, M A Mittler
1Department of Neurosurgery, North Shore University Hospital, New Hyde Park, NY, USA.
Study Design:
Case study on a 45-year-old female with progressive weakness and paresthesias in her lower extremities and a magnetic resonance image of an intramedullary mass at the level of C5-6 and a Klippel-Feil (KF) deformity ventral to the lesion.
Objective:
Present an interesting case of an intramedullary mass coexisting with a ventral KF deformity with review of the medical literature on intramedullary masses and cervical spine biomechanics.
Setting:
New York city, New York, USA.
Methods:
Case study with discussion of neurosurgical and neuropathological findings and review of the literature.
Results:
The patient underwent open neurosurgical excisional biopsy of the intramedullary mass which revealed a non-neoplastic inflammatory mass that slowly resolved with medical management.
Conclusions:
While no definitive etiology was found in this case we offer two interesting mechanisms: (1) maldevelopment of the cervical spine or (2) this inflammatory mass is in response to an abnormal motion at the level of the Klippel-Feil.
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