Monoplegia after Surgical Removal of Intradural Extramedullary Spinal Tumor without Neural Injury: A Case Report

초록

Introduction : Incidental monoplegia after spinal operation is a very uncommon complication, and this was not yet reported in literature. Herein, we report a patient experiencing an acute monoplegia after spinal cord tumor removal without a definite intraoperative damage to neural structures. Material and Method : The 57-year-old woman who was treated for intradural extamedullary spinal tumor at T12 level complained of right leg monoplegia. The intraoperative monitoring and postoperative magnetic resonance imaging studies could not indicated the cause of the immediate postoperative monoplegia. Results : Conservative treatment was not effective for the patient, but the ambulation with assistant was possible after physical therapy for 6 weeks. The possible causes of the immediate postoperative monoplegia after spinal cord tumor operation were discussed, and the embolism was concluded as a tentative suspect. Conclusions : Here, we reported the first case of acute monoplegia after spinal cord tumor removal without a definite intraoperative damage to neural structures. Surgeons should keep in mind the incidental unusual complication such as the monoplegia.