[Spinal cord tumor of children--a cured case of infantile spinal cord tumor and review of domestic literature (author's transl)].
Spinal cord tumor of children is a rare occurrence and infancy it is extremely rare. Experience with a 3-month-old female case of intraspinal extradural neurinoma was reported. This is the youngest reported case in the domestic literature. The tumor, which was solid and extended from the level of 11th thoracic vertebra to the /th lumbar vertebra, was successfully removed. Preoperative symptoms, such as sensory and motor disturbances of bilateral lower extremities and urinary and fecal incontinences, disappeared postoperatively. The patient is quite healthy 7 years after the operation. The domestic literature consisting of 73 cases of spinal cord tumor of children was reviewed and statistically  observed. Histopathologically, teratoma and teratoid tumors were the major constituents. Neurinoma, which is a major entity in adult cases was observed only in 12 cases (16.4%). In infancy early diagnosis is often difficult due to absence of subjective complaints and, in about half of the reported cases, motor disturbance was the first noticed clinical sign. In the present case, the parents noticed crying of the baby on lifting up the limbs to change diaper and the presence of some sort of sensory disturbance was suggested. Thus in suspicious cases, diagnostic procedures such as myelography should be done in early stage and early operation should be undertaken.
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery