Ganglioglioma of the spinal cord: report of two rare cases and review of the literature

Abstract

Objective and importance: The goal of this article is to present the clinical and histopathological features of two rare cases of ganglioglioma occurring in the cervicothoracic and thoracolumbar spinal cord.

Clinical presentation: A 4-year-old female patient presented with tetraparesis, whereas a 54-year-old woman showed paraparesis of both feet.

Intervention: Both tumors could be removed totally by microsurgical techniques. Light microscopically, the tumors in both cases showed basically identical histological features and were diagnosed as benign gangliogliomas. Postoperatively, the two patients did not show improvement. Tumor recurrence was not noted at follow-up examinations within 11 and 24 months after surgery, respectively.

Conclusion: Ganglioglioma must be considered in the differential diagnosis of tumors affecting the spinal cord. In cases of suspected spinal ganglioglioma showing no sharp delineation from the surrounding tissue, a subtotal tumor removal should be considered to prevent severe neurological deficits.