Rare case of conus medullaris glioblastoma multiforme in a teenager.

BACKGROUND: Primary intramedullary spinal glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) lesions are very rare comprising only 1.5% of all spinal cord tumors. These lesions typically result in rapid neurological deterioration and are associated with a very poor prognosis.

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 16-year-old male exhibited a slowly progressive paraparesis with urinary incontinence, ultimately resulting in paraplegia. On magnetic resonance (MR), he was diagnosed with an intramedullary GBM of the spinal cord extending from the T9 level through the conus medullaris. Ten months following decompression/partial surgical resection of the intramedullary mass, he remained paraplegic.

CONCLUSION: GBM of the spinal cord are rare in the pediatric age group. A 16-year-old male presented with a flaccid paraplegia attributed to an MR-documented GBM of the distal thoracic cord extending from the T9 level through the conus medullaris. Despite partial intramedullary tumor resection, 10 months postoperatively, he remained paraplegic.