Giant cell ependymoma of the spinal cord and fourth ventricle coexisting with syringomyelia

Grażyna M. Szpak; Eliza Lewandowska; Bogna Schmidt-Sidor; Elżbieta Pasennik; Joanna Modzelewska; Tomasz Stępień; Grzegorz Zdaniuk; Jerzy Kulczycki; Teresa Wierzba-Bobrowicz

eISSN: 1509-572x
ISSN: 1641-4640

Folia Neuropathologica

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3/2008
vol. 46

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abstract:

Giant cell ependymoma of the spinal cord and fourth ventricle coexisting with syringomyelia

Grażyna M. Szpak

,

Eliza Lewandowska

,

Bogna Schmidt-Sidor

,

Elżbieta Pasennik

,

Joanna Modzelewska

,

Tomasz Stępień

,

Grzegorz Zdaniuk

,

Jerzy Kulczycki

,

Teresa Wierzba-Bobrowicz

Folia Neuropathol 2008; 46 (3): 220-231

Online publish date: 2008/09/19

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This report presents a case of widespread intramedullary giant cell ependymoma arising from the central canal of the C4 segment of the spinal cord in a 28-year-old man admitted to hospital with tetraplegia and signs of increased intracranial pressure, eight months after surgical spinal cervical decompression without tetraplegia improvement. Magnetic resonance imaging and autopsy revealed a tumour extending from segment C3/C4 of the spinal cord to the lower half of the fourth ventricle with coexisting syringomyelia. This slow-growing ependymoma of low-grade malignancy exhibited unusual morphology as well as degenerative and ischaemic changes. All intramedullary and ventricular tumour segments featured coexistence of two forms of neoplastic cell, classic ependymomal and pleomorphic multinucleated giant cells. The morphological diagnostic criteria of unusual giant-cell variant of ependymoma and tumour-related syringomyelia in adults are discussed, based on the presented case and a review of the literature.

keywords:

Giant cell ependymoma of the spinal cord and fourth ventricle coexisting with syringomyelia

Grażyna M. Szpak , Eliza Lewandowska , Bogna Schmidt-Sidor , Elżbieta Pasennik , Joanna Modzelewska , Tomasz Stępień , Grzegorz Zdaniuk , Jerzy Kulczycki , Teresa Wierzba-Bobrowicz

ependymoma, giant-cell variant, brain tumour, fourth ventricle, intramedullary tumour, syringomyelia, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy

Grażyna M. Szpak

,

Eliza Lewandowska

,

Bogna Schmidt-Sidor

,

Elżbieta Pasennik

,

Joanna Modzelewska

,

Tomasz Stępień

,

Grzegorz Zdaniuk

,

Jerzy Kulczycki

,

Teresa Wierzba-Bobrowicz