Tethered cervical spinal cord due to a hamartomatous stalk in a young adult

Case report

Paolo Perrini M.D.1, Antonio Scollato M.D.1, Enrico Guidi M.D.1, Nicola Benedetto M.D.1, Anna Maria Buccoliero M.D.1, and Nicola Di Lorenzo M.D.1
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  • 1 Departments of Neurosurgery, and Human Pathology and Oncology, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
Page Range:
244–247
Volume/Issue:
Volume 102: Issue 2
DOI link:
https://doi.org/10.3171/jns.2005.102.2.0244
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✓The authors report on an unusual case of a congenital tethered cervical spinal cord in young man who presented with progressive tetraparesis. Neuroradiological evaluation of the spine revealed a discrete exophitic cervical spinal cord mass with a stalk of tissue that extended from the mass and terminated in the muscle tissue.

The patient underwent a laminectomy with intradural exploration. A stalklike lesion was discovered and excised. Pathological examination showed that the stalk was formed of hamartomatous tissue.

The patient improved following surgery, which suggested that tethering of the cervical spinal cord was responsible for his symptoms.

Volume 102: Issue 2 (Feb 2005)

in Journal of Neurosurgery
Cover Journal of Neurosurgery

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