title: Solitary plasmacytoma presenting as an intramedullary mass of the cervical cord.
abstract: Extramedullary plasmacytomas originating in the spinal cord are extremely rare lesions. We report a 52-year-old man presenting with progressive tetraparesis. Spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an ill-defined contrast-enhancing intramedullary mass at the C5-6 level. After a biopsy was taken, pathology including immunohistochemistry revealed plasmacytoma. Complete workup for multiple myeloma was negative. The patient was treated with intravenous chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy and corticosteroids without any improvement of the clinical symptoms or decreased tumor size on the follow-up MRIs. The most common spinal manifestation of plasmocytoma is involvement of the vertebral bodies leading to extradural compression of the cord. Only rarely plasmocytoma manifests itself as a primarily dural lesion leading to an intradural cord compression. This report describes the extremely rare manifestation of plasmocytoma of the spinal cord itself that therefore should be considered in the differential diagnosis of spinal cord mass lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital (RWTH), Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Franz Josef
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Hans
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Sasikhan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Geibprassert
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krings
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuropathology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weis
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropathology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deckert
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital (RWTH), Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ludolph
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine IV, University Hospital (RWTH), Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Rainhardt
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Osieka
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine IV, University Hospital (RWTH), Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jost
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007796:Laminectomy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D010954:Plasmacytoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000209:etiology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000601:surgery; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*