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Spinal cord herniation following cervical meningioma excision: a rare clinical entity and review of literature

European Spine Journal volume 25, pages 216–219 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Spinal cord herniation following surgery is an extremely uncommon clinical condition with very few reports in published literature. This condition usually occurs as a spontaneous idiopathic phenomenon often in the thoracic spine or following a scenario of post traumatic spinal cord/nerve root injury. Rarely has it been reported following spinal cord tumor surgery.

Purpose

To document a case of cervical spinal cord herniation as a late onset complication following spinal cord tumor surgery with an atypical presentation of monoparesis.

Design

Case report.

Methods

We describe the clinical presentation, operative procedure, post operative outcome and review of literature of this rare clinical condition.

Results

A 57-year-old man presented with right upper limb monoparesis due to a spinal cord herniation 6 years after a cervical intradural meningioma excision. The patients underwent surgery to reduce the herniation and duroplasty with subsequent complete resolution of symptoms.

Conclusions

Spinal cord herniation must be considered as differential diagnosis in scenarios of spinal cord tumor excision presenting with late onset neurological deficit. These cases may present as paraparesis, Brown-sequard syndrome and rarely as in our case as monoparesis.

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Acknowledgments

The project was funded by Ganga Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, Coimbatore.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Spine Surgery, Ganga Hospital, 313, Mettupalayam Road, Coimbatore, India

    Siddharth N. Aiyer, Ajoy Prasad Shetty, Rishi Kanna, Anupama Maheswaran & S. Rajasekaran

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  1. Siddharth N. Aiyer
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  2. Ajoy Prasad Shetty
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  3. Rishi Kanna
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  4. Anupama Maheswaran
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  5. S. Rajasekaran
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Rajasekaran.

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None of the authors has any potential conflict of interest.

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Aiyer, S.N., Shetty, A.P., Kanna, R. et al. Spinal cord herniation following cervical meningioma excision: a rare clinical entity and review of literature. Eur Spine J 25, 216–219 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-016-4412-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-016-4412-9

Keywords

  • Spinal cord herniation
  • Cervical meningioma
  • Pseudomeningocoele
  • Monoparesis
  • Post-operative