Primary intradural extraarachnoid Hodgkin lymphoma of the cervical spine

Abstract

✓ This 42-year-old man presented with an intradural extramedullary mass in his lower cervical spine. On imaging studies the lesion mimicked the appearance of a meningioma. At surgery, the mass was found to be an intradural extra-arachnoid tumor. An intraoperative pathological examination determined the lesion to be a Hodgkin lymphoma. The procedure was limited to biopsy sampling and the patient was treated further with adriamycin, bleomycin, vincristine, and dacarbazine chemotherapy, after which remission was demonstrated both clinically and on images. Analysis of a frozen section obtained during the procedure aided in the diagnosis of the tumor, thus preventing further resection and the potential neurological complications associated with more radical resection. To the authors’ knowledge this is the first reported case of a presumed primary intradural extraarachnoid Hodgkin lymphoma.