Iatrogenic spinal epidermoid cyst after lumbar puncture using needles with stylet

Abstract

Iatrogenic spinal epidermoid tumors are extremely rare and may be caused by implanted skin fragments in the spinal canal, most commonly due to lumbar punctures using hollow needles without a stylet. The authors report for the first time an iatrogenic spinal epidermoid tumor that developed 26 months after several lumbar punctures, performed using disposable spinal needles with stylet, in an 8-year-old boy with persistent lower back pain. The authors hypothesize that an ill-fitting stylet compounded by multiple therapeutic lumbar punctures and young age as possible risk factors for the development of the tumor in the present case. A total excision of the tumor with laminectomy yielded good symptomatic recovery.