M. Bouaziz

À propos d'un tératome mature kystique rachidien intradural extramédullaire cervical: diagnostic et traitement

Spinal intradural extramedullary teratoma is a rare condition that develops more commonly in children than in adults. It may be associated with spinal dysraphism. We report an exceptional case of adult-onset intradural extramedullary teratoma of the cervical spinal cord and bulbomedullary junction with no evidence of spinal dysraphism and no history of previous spinal surgery and/or lumbar puncture. The patient was a 38-year-old woman whose chief complaint was progressive installation of a tetraparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a cystic tumor on both sides of the foramen magnum compressing the bulbomedullary junction. The tumor was totally surgically resected. The histopathological diagnosis was a mature teratoma.

Schwannome de la racine spinale du nerf accessoire : à propos d’une nouvelle observation

BACKGROUND The accessory nerve schwannoma localized in spinal canal is extremely rare; only nine cases have been reported in the literature until now. We report a new case of schwannoma at the spinal root of accessory nerve. OBSERVATION A young woman aged 30 had a high cervical spinal cord compression with respiratory problems. At admission, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a tumor compressing the spinal cord at C2 to the foramen magnum. The tumor was removed successfully and its origin from the left accessory nerve was confirmed peroperatively. CONCLUSION Although schwannoma of the accessory nerve is exceptional, this entity should be considered as a differential diagnosis with the other tumors of the foramen magnum.