Cuadriplejía secundaria a un schwannoma intradural extramedular; a propósito de un caso

Abstract

Schwannomas are uncommon benign tumors originating from Schwann cells. They have a rate of 0.4 cases per year per 100,000 inhabitants and represent 30% of spinal cord tumors. Among these, those arising from the C1, C2, and C3 spinal roots are the C2 roots, representing 15% of spinal schwannomas. Clinical case: The case of a 47-year-old male patient with no personal, surgical, or family pathological history is presented. One week prior to admission, the patient presented pain at the posterior cervical level, loss of strength in the lower extremities, which progresses upwards to present plegia in all four limbs, and compromise of sensitivity characterized by anesthesia. The patient went to the neurosurgery department, where imaging studies (nuclear magnetic resonance) reported a C2-C3 cervical mass with extramedullary and intradural components, which severely compressed the spinal canal, so the tumor was excised by posterior approach without complications. He received physiotherapy and neurosensory stimulation with subsequent physical and sensory recovery in its entirety, and in the control imaging studies, there was no evidence of recurrence.