Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Brief Clinical Note

A case of extramedullary multiple myeloma manifested as an epidural mass in the cervical spinal cord

Hijiri Itoh, M.D.1), Itsuro Tomita, M.D.1), Hideyo Satoh, M.D.1), Akira Satoh, M.D.1), Makiko Seto, M.D.1), Mitsuhiro Tsujihata, M.D.1) and Hisanobu Uematsu, M.D.2)

1)Section of Neurology, Nagasaki Kita Hospital
2)Department of Orthopedics, Nagasaki Municipal Hospital

A 76-year-old man who rapidly developed quadriparesis was admitted to our hospital. MRI showed an epidural mass extending from C4 to C6, displacing the spinal cord anteriorly. It showed isointensity on the T1-weighted imagines, hyperintensity on the T2-weighted images, and diffuse hyperintensity with gadolinium enhancement. Plain radiographs, CT and MRI showed no evidence of bone involvement. Serum immunoelectrophoresis disclosed M-components of IgA and λ light chains. This is the first report that an epidural myeloma in the cervical spinal cord caused compression of the cord without evidence of bone involvement.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 43: 119|121, 2003)
key words: multiple myeloma, epidural spinal tumor, extramedullary plasmacytoma, extraosseous epidural tumor, spinal cord compression

(Received: 18-Oct-02)