title: Probably the oldest patient with the diagnosis of medullar conus teratoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Authors present a case report of a 60 year old patient suffering from several movement and sensitivity disorders lasting for several months. On magnetic resonance scans a huge extramedular intradural structure was described. Patient underwent three operations and the same number of histological investigations. Furthermore we have performed bacteriological investigations because of the presence of suspicious pus during the surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Even after the third investigation the evidence of mature teratoma has been established. After successful passing of three surgeries, the patient has no sphincter disorders and she is able to walk with the sticks and she has only small sensitivity deterioration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All forms of teratoma are chemo- and radioresistent, so beside total extirpation we have no relevant possibilities to cure this tumour. The size of the extirpation is mostly limited by the time of appearance, the size of the tumour and by the potential damages of the normal spinal cord tissue, which could be protected by using neurophysiology (Fig. 3, Ref. 9).
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Musil
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mrlian
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duba
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kren
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smrcka
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D013724:Teratoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery