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Giant cystic sacral schwannoma mimicking tarlov cyst: a case report

  • Case Report
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Abstract

Purpose

To present a rare case of a giant schwannoma of the sacrum mimicking a Tarlov cyst.

Methods

A 58-year-old woman had a 1-year history of low back pain. MRI revealed a large cystic mass in the sacral canal with bony erosion. Radiological diagnosis of Tarlov cyst was made.

Results

The patient underwent surgical treatment for the lesion, which revealed a solid mass. Histopathological examination of the tumor confirmed the diagnosis of schwannoma. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient has had significant improvement in her pain 1 month postoperatively.

Conclusion

Giant cystic schwannoma of the sacrum is a very rare diagnosis overlooked by practitioners for more common cystic etiologies, but its treatment is significantly different. Care should be taken to include this diagnosis in a differential for a cystic sacral mass.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Mark A. Attiah, Peter P. Syre, John Pierce & William C. Welch

  2. Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

    Elizaveta Belyaeva

Authors
  1. Mark A. Attiah
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  2. Peter P. Syre
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  3. John Pierce
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  4. Elizaveta Belyaeva
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  5. William C. Welch
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark A. Attiah.

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None of the authors has any potential conflict of interest

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The patients and/or their families were informed that data from the case would be submitted for publication, and gave their consent.

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Attiah, M.A., Syre, P.P., Pierce, J. et al. Giant cystic sacral schwannoma mimicking tarlov cyst: a case report. Eur Spine J 25 (Suppl 1), 84–88 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-015-4128-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-015-4128-2

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