Conus Medullaris Teratoma in an Adolescent: A Case Report and Literature Review

Teratomas are benign germ cell tumors that typically develop outside their usual anatomical origin. Their location in the spinal cord is exceedingly rare. Here, we report the case of a 12-year-old female adolescent who presented with a history of persistent lower back pain and progressive paraplegia. Spinal MRI revealed a well-circumscribed hyperintense lesion with a fat component at the level of the conus medullaris. The patient underwent a T12-L2 laminectomy, and a subtotal resection of the lesion was performed due to its strong adherence to neural structures. Histopathological analysis confirmed a mature teratoma. The patient exhibited marked neurological improvement during follow-up. Although total tumor excision is the preferred approach, subtotal resection is a viable alternative in cases where the tumor capsule is tightly adherent to neural tissue, given the low recurrence rates reported in the literature.