Spinal Cord Malakoplakia Mimicking a Spinal Cord Tumor : The First Case Report

Malakoplakia is a rare chronic inflammatory disease that has been rarely reported in the genitourinary tract, gastrointestinal tract, adrenal glands, skin, lungs, bone, and endometrium. Central nervous system malakoplakia is extremely rare, and even then, it has only been reported in the cerebrum and cerebellum. A definite diagnosis of malakoplakia depends on microscopic detection of Michaelis-Gutmann bodies. We would like to present the case of a 61-year-old male who, after undergoing a liver transplant and receiving prolonged antibiotic treatment for Escherichia coli bacteremia, presented with quadriparesis and gait disturbance. The clinical and radiologic appearance of malakoplakia mimics that of malignant tumor. This is a condition with no established appropriate treatment and presents challenges due to its spinal cord location. However, this case presents a case of spinal cord malakoplakia and may provide newly differential diagnosis of an intramedullary mass in the spinal cord.