title: MRI in an unusual case of congenital spinal mesenchymal proliferation.
abstract: We report a child aged 2 years presenting with delayed motor development. A thoracolumbar subcutaneous mass was noticed in the first months of life. MRI showed a low conus medullaris, confirmed the presence of the mass and detected a second solid lesion in the intradural space. Surgery confirmed that the two lesions were distinct, as on MRI. The histopathological features were in common with fibrous hamartoma of infancy, giant cell angioblastoma and the "diffuse type" of infantile fibromatosis. The presence of a low conus medullaris associated with a congenital clinical presentation suggested a disontogenetic aetiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, Children's Hospital, G. Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tortori-Donati
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Fondelli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Andreussi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brisigotti
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Garrè
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D005350:Fibroma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology*; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology