title: 'Serpent in the spine': a case of giant spinal ependymoma of cervicothoracic spine.
abstract: We describe a case of giant spinal ependymoma of cervicothoracic spine in a 30-year-old lady who presented with progressive spastic paraparesis and significant combined upper and lower motor neuron signs in her lower limbs over a 1-year period. She also had upper limb small muscle wasting with absent reflexes and diminished sensation. She was wheel chair bound with involvement of sphincters. Neuroimaging revealed a uniformly enhancing intramedullary lesion from C2-T3 level with associated syringomyelia. She underwent a complete excision of this World Health Organisation (WHO) II cellular ependymoma, resulting in significant clinical outcome and improvement in bladder and bowel function.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Republic of Ireland.
authors: Arlizan
authors: A
authors: Arrifin
authors: Chandrasekaran
authors: C
authors: Kaliaperumal
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Keohane
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: O'Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004806:Ependymoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae