Intramedullary Spinal Cord Metastasis (ISCM) Arising from Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) / 대한정형외과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

Intramedullary spinal cord metastases occurring from any malignant tumor are usually accompanied by frequent metastases in the intracranium. The clinical features of this disease have been described as the rapid progression of neurologic deficit that can lead to complete paraplegia. In this case, the authors treated a 76-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with an intramedullary spinal cord metastasis arising from a small cell lung cancer without an invasion of the brain, with decompressive surgery and posterior instrumentation. The patient suffered from weakness of her legs, walking difficulties, and urinary and fecal incontinence. Her preoperative neurologic symptoms were improved significantly after surgery. The patient did not want to have further treatment for the primary cancer, and she died from pneumonia caused by aggravation of the underlying disease 3 months after surgery. We report this rare case, which was diagnosed as a metastasis of a small cell lung cancer postoperatively, with a review of the relevant literature.