title: An upper thoracic spinal cord tumor presenting as hemifacial hyperhidrosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hyperhidrosis as the sole presenting symptom of an upper thoracic intramedullary tumor has never been reported in the English literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 17-year-old boy presented with a long history of hemifacial flushing and hyperhidrosis on the left side of his face and neck. The MRI revealed a large spinal cord tumor at the T1-T2 levels. The patient underwent total excision of the intramedullary tumor via a posterior myelotomy. The histopathological diagnosis was low-grade astrocytoma. The symptoms resolved immediately after the surgery and did not return during the follow-up period of 9 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We suggest that sympathetic irritation on the left side is the mechanism behind this clinical presentation. Its unusual presentation and lack of motor and sensory deficits resulted in delayed diagnosis of this potentially disabling lesion. When autonomic dysfunction of the face and neck is encountered, in addition to the cranial and cervical regions, the upper thoracic levels should be investigated using MRI.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Medical Faculty, Trakya University, 22030 Edirne, Turkey. ckilincer@hotmail.com
authors: Cumhur
authors: C
authors: Kilinçer
authors: Levent
authors: L
authors: Oztürk
authors: M Kemal
authors: MK
authors: Hamamcioglu
authors: Emre
authors: E
authors: Altunrende
authors: Sebahattin
authors: S
authors: Cobanoglu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005483:Flushing; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006945:Hyperhidrosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*