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58. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie e. V. (DGNC)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC) e. V.

26. bis 29.04.2007, Leipzig

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Conus medullaris Ependymoma presenting clinically as subarachnoid hemorrhage. Case report and review of literature

Klinische Manifestation eines Conus-medullaris-Ependymoms als Subarachnoidalblutung. Fallbericht und Literaturrecherche

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  • corresponding author C.T. Ulrich - Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universität, Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Frankfurt am Main
  • J. Beck - Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universität, Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Frankfurt am Main
  • V. Seifert - Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universität, Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Frankfurt am Main
  • G. Marquardt - Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universität, Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Frankfurt am Main

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 58. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie e.V. (DGNC). Leipzig, 26.-29.04.2007. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2007. DocP 039

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/dgnc2007/07dgnc294.shtml

Published: April 11, 2007

© 2007 Ulrich et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Objective: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) due to spinal ependymoma is very rare. We report a 37-year-old man who presented with an acute onset of headache and leg pain.

Methods: This patient presented with typical clinical signs of SAH, and lumbar puncture confirmed SAH. Cerebral angiography was negative and further diagnostic work-up revealed an ependymoma of the conus medullaris as source of the hemorrhage. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted.

Results: The ependymoma was resected without any sequelae. In the English and German literature, only 17 cases of SAH due to a spinal ependymoma are reported since 1958.

Conclusions: Spinal ependymoma presenting as SAH is very rare. Therefore, in cases of negative diagnostic findings for cerebral aneurysms or malformations this aetiology should be considered and work-up of the spinal axis completed.