Dumbbell ganglioneuroma mimicking lumbar neurofibroma: a case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Spinal ganglioneuromas may grow in a dumbbell fashion. We report the first case of an intradural, extramedullary ganglioneuroma in the lumbar spine and review the pertinent literature. Although rare, we propose that ganglioneuroma be considered a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with a large mass occupying both intraspinal and extraspinal compartments.

Single stage complete resection of giant dumbbell lumbar ganglioneuroma: a case report and review of the literature

“…Dumbbell ganglioneuromas affecting the lumbar spine are extremely rare [1,4,8,9]. Until now, only nine cases of dumbbell lumbar ganglioneuromas have been reported [1,8]. To our knowledge, this is the first report regarding the complete resection of a giant dumbbell lumbar ganglioneuroma by a single posterior approach with fixation and fusion.…”

“…Ganglioneuroma is a rare, slow-growing, benign tumor that arises from sympathetic ganglion along the spinal column and adrenal glands [1][2][3][4][5]. Most of ganglioneuromas are found in the posterior mediastinum and retroperitoneum, and less than 10 % in the spine [6,7].…”

“…Occasionally, the ganglioneuromas located in the paraspinal region extended intraspinally and became dumbbell shaped [3]. Dumbbell ganglioneuromas affecting the lumbar spine are extremely rare [1,4,8,9]. Until now, only nine cases of dumbbell lumbar ganglioneuromas have been reported [1,8].…”

Lumbar Spinal Immature Ganglioneuroma with Conus Medullaris Invasion: Case Report

“…The incidence of the tumor is slightly higher in females than males [4]. The most common locations of the GNs are the mediastinum and retroperitoneum, and lumbar spinal GNs are extremely rare [5,6,7,8,9,10]. We report an extremely rare case of lumbar spinal GN with conus medullaris invasion and extradural paraspinal extension.…”

“…GNs represent the most benign and differentiated type of this group [10]. They arise from the nerve ganglion cells, as opposed to the neuroendocrine (pheochromocytoma) tumors and nerve sheath (schwannoma) tumors.…”