Pediatric Spinal Cord Ependymoma

  • Etiology: Glial tumor with ependymal differentiation
  • Imaging:
    — Occurs at conus medullaris and filum terminal
    — Central location
    — Lobulated mass
    — Well defined borders
    — May have central cyst
    — Propensity to hemorrhage (low T2 cap sign)
    — Irregular enhancement
    — Bony scalloping
  • DDX:
  • Complications:
  • Treatment:
  • Clinical:
    — 30% of pediatric intramedullary tumors
    — Sporadic or associated with neurofibromatosis Type 2

Radiology Cases of Spinal Cord Ependymoma

MRI of myxopapillary ependymoma of the spinal cord
Sagittal T1 MRI without contrast (left), T2 MRI (center), and T1 MRI with contrast (right) of the lumbar spine shows an intradural extramedullary cylindrical solid mass that is arising from the filum terminale and which shows minimal enhancement. On T2 MRI (center) the mass has a triangular area of low signal intensity along its superior border (cap sign).