Successful treatment of a primary thoracic dumb-bell yolk sac tumor presenting with severe spinal cord compression: Case report

The objective of this study is to report a primary thoracic dumb-bell YST presenting with severe spinal cord compression successfully treated with posterior-only approach operation, followed by chemotherapy. The management of these unique cases has not been fully documented. Patient concerns: A 26-mounth-old, previously healthy girl presented with progressive numbness and weakness of the lower extremities. Neurological examination revealed paralysis of both lower extremities, sensory disturbance below T-8 and bladder-bowel dysfunction. Diagnosis: CT and MRI of spine showed a dumb-bell mass lesion with both epidural and extraspinal extension through enlarged intervertebral foramina and marked spinal cord compression at T7–T9. The AFP level was 13738 ng/ml. Preoperative puncture and Postoperative pathology confirmed the diagnosis of YST. Interventions: By needle biopsy, we identified the pathological diagnosis is YST. Subsequently, the patient was treated with one-stage posterior-only approach operation, followed by 9 courses of chemotherapy based on cisplatin, bleomycin, etoposide. Outcomes: The patient has a complete neurologic recovery and remains recurrence free as of more than 2 years after the completion of operation. There were no other complications associated with the operation during the follow-up period. Lessons: YST should be considered in the range of children with thoracic dumb-bell tumor presenting with spinal cord compression. Needle biopsy is...
Source: Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Tags: Research Article: Clinical Case Report Source Type: research