Gangliocytic paraganglioma of the cauda equina with significant calcification: first description in pediatric age

Abstract

A 17-year-old boy was referred with a 2-month history of low back pain and bilateral sciatica and difficulty in ambulation. Neurological examination found mild muscle weakness and diminished deep tendon reflexes in his right leg. Lumbar magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intradural-extramedullary tumor at the level of the L4, exiting through the right L4-L5 intervertebral foramen into the right psoas muscle. After total resection of the tumor, histopathological diagnosis revealed a gangliocytic paraganglioma. There are 184 paraganglioma cases reported at the lumbar region to date, and only 4 of them were in the pediatric age group. This report is the fifth paraganglioma case in the lumbar region and the first gangliocytic paraganglioma case in the pediatric age population.