Myelopathy in a 6-year-old girl caused by neurofibromatosis Type 1: a case report.
BACKGROUND
Even when there is radiological evidence of spinal involvement, young patients with neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF-1) seldom have symptoms. We report the case of a child who developed rapidly progressive myelopathy.


OBJECTIVE
To describe a technique used to prevent postoperative spinal deformity and instability, after removal of a dumbbell-shaped tumor in a 6-year-old child.


METHODS
Case report.


METHODS
A 6-year-old female.


METHODS
Retrospective case review.


RESULTS
The patient underwent a resection of the cervical dumbbell tumor using an osteoplastic laminectomy technique to prevent postoperative spinal deformity. At 2-year follow-up, there was no clinical or radiographic evidence of complications or spinal kyphotic deformity.


CONCLUSIONS
The case of a 6-year-old girl with cervical myelopathy caused by NF-1 was reported. The tumor was removed after osteoplastic laminectomy, which could prevent postoperative kyphotic deformity.
Tonogai
Ichiro
I
Department of Orthopedics, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
Sakai
Toshinori
T
Katoh
Shinsuke
S
Higashino
Kosaku
K
Sairyo
Koichi
K
Hirohashi
Nori
N
Yasui
Natsuo
N
D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D002648:Child; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009456:Neurofibromatosis 1 / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology