Nondural-based lumbar clear cell meningioma. Case report

This 32-year-old man had noticed right leg pain for 4 years and developed classic right sciatica after heavy lifting, followed by episodes of buckling of both legs 1 month prior to admission. His medical history included congenital left abducens palsy. Examination revealed a right Lasègue's sign and Fajersztajn's sign with mild weakness of the right extensor hallucis longus. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 1.5 x 2.0-cm enhancing intradural lesion at the L3-4 level. Following laminectomy of L-3 and L-4 and intradural exposure, the tumor was found to be draped loosely by the roots of the cauda equina and attached to a single root without any adherence to dura. Transection of the adherent fascicles and typical microdissection of arachnoidal filaments permitted its complete removal without violation of the capsule, allowing the preservation of a large fascicle. The patient's recovery was uneventful. Postoperatively, a mild right lateral foot hypalgesia and diminution of the right ankle jerk implicated the S-1 root. Histological and immunohistochemical analyses diagnosed the specimen as a clear cell meningioma.