Chronic Intramedullary Spinal Cord Abscess Mimicking Intramedullary Spinal Cord Tumor—“Phantom Tumor”

Abstract

Case:A 33-year-old woman with back pain and radiculopathy had presented with bilateral ankle weakness. MRI showed an intramedullary conus lesion suggestive of neoplasm, but posterior midline durotomy revealed only pus. Pus samples showedStaphylococcus aureus, which was treated with 6 weeks of antibiotics. Two-year follow-up showed complete neurological recovery with no clinicoradiological signs of recurrence.Conclusion:Usually, intramedullary spinal cord abscess (ISCA) has an acute presentation and warrants an emergent line of treatment with a risk of mortality. Very rarely chronic ISCA can mimic intramedullary spinal cord tumor. It is the first case reported in the literature of chronic ISCA mimicking conus IMST.