BACKGROUND: Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis (ISCM) is an uncommon complication of malignancy. ISCM from thyroid cancer is extremely rare, only a few cases had been reported and most were found at autopsy. Here we report a patient with progressive lower leg weakness due to ISCM from papillary thyroid carcinoma who had a good response to surgery. PATIENT FINDINGS: A 44-year-old woman presented with bilateral lower leg pain in December 2009. She underwent a total thyroidectomy in 1997 because of large mass in the right neck, which was diagnosed as papillary thyroid carcinoma. She had repeated I-131 therapies, but brain metastasis developed in 2002. When she was admitted, lower leg pain and weakness progressed rapidly. We performed magnetic resonance of the spine and whole-body fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography scan, which demonstrated a 2×6 cm intramedullary mass enhanced by gadolinium with FDG-uptake. She underwent emergency laminotomy with subtotal tumor removal. Pathology revealed metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma. After the emergent operation she could walk without help. CONCLUSION: We report a patient with ISCM from papillary thyroid carcinoma. Surgical resection should be considered in patients with ISCM from papillary thyroid carcinoma. Early diagnosis and surgical resection could improve the quality of life and the neurologic deficits
Keywords : Adult,Autopsy,Brain,Carcinoma,Carcinoma,Papillary,diagnosis,Early Diagnosis,Female,Fluorodeoxyglucose F18,Gadolinium,Humans,Iodine,Iodine Radioisotopes,Laminectomy,Leg,Magnetic Resonance Imaging,methods,Neck,Pain,pathology,Patients,physiopathology,Positron-Emission Tomography,Quality of Life,Radioisotopes,Radiopharmaceuticals,radiotherapy,secondary,Spinal Cord,Spinal Cord Neoplasms,Spine,surgery,therapeutic use,therapy,Thyroid Cancer,Papillary,Thyroid Neoplasms,Thyroidectomy,Treatment Outcome,Universities,Walking,Whole Body Imaging,, Spinal,Cord,Metastasis,From,Papillary, pens treatment
Date of Publication : 2011 Nov
Authors : Jeon MJ;Kim TY;Han JM;Yim JH;Rhim SC;Kim WB;Shong YK;
Organisation : Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Songpa-gu, Seoul, Korea
Journal of Publication : Thyroid
Pubmed Link : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21936676
The London Spine Unit : Harley Street UK. Specialists in Cutting Edge Technologies for Spinal Surgery
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