Metastatic epidural spinal column compression due to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma causing subacute Cauda equina syndrome: A case report

Luis Diaz-Aguilar; Usman Khan; Ronald Sahyouni; Nolan James Brown; Scott Olson; Joseph Anthony Osorio

doi:10.25259/SNI_514_2020

Metastatic epidural spinal column compression due to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma causing subacute Cauda equina syndrome: A case report

Surg Neurol Int. 2020 Sep 5:11:279. doi: 10.25259/SNI_514_2020. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Luis Diaz-Aguilar¹, Usman Khan¹, Ronald Sahyouni¹, Nolan James Brown², Scott Olson¹, Joseph Anthony Osorio¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla.
² Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, Irvine, California, United States.

Abstract

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common pancreatic malignancy, which rarely metastasizes to the spine.

Case description: Here, we present a lytic lumbar metastatic PDAC resulting in severe epidural spinal cord compression (ESCC) with instability. The lesion required preoperative particle embolization, surgical decompression, and fusion.

Conclusion: This case report shows that PDAC may metastasize to the lumbar spine requiring routine decompression with fusion.

Keywords: Cauda equina syndrome; Decompression; Instrumentation; Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; Spinal metastasis.

Publication types

Case Reports