A Case of Intradural Epidermoid Tumor of the Lumbar Spine

ABSTRACT

Histologically, epidermoid tumors are composed only of dermal epithelium and associated connective tissue. They arise from the epithelial tissue displaced during the closure of the neural tube between the third and fifth weeks of gestation. This tumor accounts for 0.6 to 1.1% of all spinal cord tumors; intradural and extramedullary epidermoid tumors are rarely found within the spinal canal. The authors describe a case of intradural epidermoid tumor, in which The patient presented with low back pain and weakness of the lower extremities. On axial and sagittal T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine, a round, high signal intensity response revealed the presence of an intradural tumor at L3-4; it was totally removed. The pathological and clinical characteristics of epidermoid tumors are discussed.