Myxopapillary ependymoma of the filum terminale in a pubescent patient: a case report Ependimoma mixopapilar del filum terminal en un paciente pubescente: un reporte de caso

Abstract

Myxopapillary ependymoma is a subtype of spinal cord ependymoma that prefers the lumbosacral region. It is a slow-growing benign neoplasm that accounts for 13% of all spinal ependymomas. Clinically, it presents with radicular syndromes of long evolution and can also manifest motor, sensory, urinary, and gait abnormalities. A 14-year-old female patient with 6 months of lumbosacral pain, which in the last month radiated to the lower limbs, was admitted to the service with crural paraparesis (3/5 on the Daniels scale) and urinary retention. An MRI with contrast showed a lesion compatible with ependymoma at the lumbar level, so a laminectomy of L3 and L4 plus total resection of the lesion was performed. Radical surgery for myxopapillary ependymoma is associated with a favorable outcome in children and adults, similar to other spinal cord ependymomas. Long-term survival is better with the macroscopic total removal of myxopapillary ependymoma than with subtotal resection, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy.