Abstract
Rapidly progressive paraplegia due to a conus medullaris cavernous malformation with irreversible neurological deficits: a case report highlighting diagnostic challenges
Department of Neurology and Epileptology, Independent Public Clinical Hospital, Medical Center for Postgraduate Education, Warsaw, Poland
Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland
Department of Radiology, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland
Department of Pathology, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland
Folia Neuropathol 2026; 64 (3): 313-319
Intramedullary spinal cavernous malformations (ISCMs) are rare vascular lesions of the spinal cord. Those located in the conus medullaris are exceptionally uncommon, and our understanding of them is primarily based on individual case reports. We report a case of a 60-year-old patient with a history of multiple cerebral cavernous malformations who presented with rapidly progressive paraplegia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an intramedullary hemorrhage from a cavernous malformation in the conus medullaris. Despite initial conservative management, the patient’s neurological symptoms progressed. A Th11-12 laminectomy and total excision of the cavernous malformation were performed.
The postoperative period was uneventful. Despite treatment, there was no improvement in the patient’s neurological condition at a 15-month follow-up. This case highlights the significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges associated with ISCMs of the conus medullaris.
Keywords
paraplegia, cavernous malformation, laminectomy, conus medullaris, spinal cavernoma
Integrated with