Patient's question:
Your friend used to often have headaches and poor cervical spine health. They underwent a cervical spine MRI for further examination, and the results showed: abnormal T1 and T2 signals in the cervical and upper thoracic spinal cord; central canal expansion of the spinal cord at C3-7, with significant spinal cord thickening. Mild fibrosis changes were observed in the cervical spine, and there were no abnormalities in the physiological curvature. The preliminary diagnosis suggests: spinal cord cavernoma at C3-7, with a possibility of ependymoma extending along the ependyma.What exactly is wrong with your friend? Is it really spinal cord cavernoma? What are the treatment options?
Doctor's answer:
There are three factors that can cause spinal cord cavitation: 1. Cerebellar tonsil herniation; 2. Spinal cord tumors, the most common being ependymomas; 3. Spontaneous cavitation. For the first type, surgical drainage of the bony and meningeal structures at the craniovertebral junction is effective. For the second type, the tumor disappears after removal. For the third type, special treatment is generally not required. Please search for "Dr. Dong's Neurosurgery Space" to understand the minimally invasive electro-physiological care and treatment for spinal cord cavitation.