Primary spinal tumors in children.
Nine patients, 16 years of age or younger with primary spinal cord tumors, diagnosed between 1991 and 2003 at The Kaohsiung University Hospital, were reviewed retrospectively. There were 2 female and 7 male patients. Two tumors were located primarily in the cervical cord (1 meningioma, 1 neurofibroma), five were predominantly thoracic (1 lymphoma, 1 meningioma, 1 astrocytoma, 1 fibrosarcoma and 1 osteoblastoma), one lumbar (ependymoma), and one sacral (Ewing's sarcoma). The most common clinical presentation was limb weakness (100%) followed by back pain (44.4%). All the patients underwent laminectomy for removal of their tumors. Five children with benign tumors improved postoperatively. At discharge, these 5 children could walk without assistance and have remained stable with long-term of follow-up. Radical surgery should be considered in benign primary spinal cord tumors. As would be expected, patients diagnosed and treated early and in whom a total resection was achieved had a better prognosis.
Loh
Joon-Khim
JK
Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiaokang Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Lin
Ching-Kuo
CK
Hwang
Yan-Fen
YF
Hwang
Shiuh-Lin
SL
Kwan
Aij-Lie
AL
Howng
Shen-Long
SL
D000293:Adolescent; D001416:Back Pain / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy; D008297:Male; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000209:etiology; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome