Clinical and surgical management of holocervical spinal cord ependymomas

BACKGROUND: Spinal ependymomas are rare tumors of the central nervous system, and those spanning the entire cervical spine are atypical. Here, we present two unusual cases of holocervical (C1-C7) spinal ependymomas. CASE DESCRIPTION: Two patients, a 32-year-old female and a 24-year-old male presented with neck pain, motor, and sensory deficits. Sagittal MRI confirmed hypointense lesions on T1 and hyperintense regions on T2 spanning the entire cervical spine. These were accompanied by cystic cavities extending caudally into the thoracic spine and rostrally to the cervicomedullary junction. Both patients underwent gross total resection of these lesions and sustained excellent recoveries. CONCLUSION: Two holocervical cord intramedullary ependymomas were safely and effectively surgically resected without incurring significant perioperative morbidity.