A Case of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections With Neurogenic Bladder Due to Spinal Tumors

Neuroblastic tumors are the most common extracranial solid tumors in children. They are manifested by different clinical presentations ranging from cord compression symptoms to asymptomatic cases. A 2.5-year girl with a history of vaginal delivery at 39 gestational weeks and low Apgar score presented by repeated episodes of urinary tract infections and progressive paraplegia started at the age of 8 months. Brain MRI and EEG were normal. Voiding cystourethrography revealed grade II vesicoureteral reflux in the left kidney. Lumbar MRI with and without contrast showed a dumbbell shape mass, the hyper signal in T2 -weighted image and low signal in T1 -weighted image, extramedullary, and intramural with mass effect on the cord. Microscopic examination of tissue obtained by surgery reported ganglioneuroma. Our case was interesting because of her presentation, neurogenic bladder associated with repeated episodes of urinary tract infections, and secondary paraplegia. Neurogenic bladder dysfunction is rarely reported in cases with ganglioneuroma.