A case of spinal low-grade astrocytoma with exophytic and intracranial extension

BACKGROUND Ventral exophytic growth of a spinal intramedullary glioma into the cranial cavity is an unusual condition. CASE DESCRIPTION A 16-year-old boy was admitted because of lower cranial nerve dysfunction and acute hydrocephalus. Magnetic resonance images showed an intramedullary mass lesion in the upper cervical spinal cord with exophytic extension into the medullary and prepontine cisterns. The patient underwent suboccipital craniectomy and C1–2 laminectomy for decompression and histologic evaluation. The histopathologic findings were characteristic of astrocytoma grade II. Although radiotherapy was performed, the patient died 7 months later. CONCLUSIONS This is considered to be a rare case of spinal low-grade astrocytoma with ventral exophytic intracranial extension.