RESUMO
Objective: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious condition that can lead to partial or complete paraplegia or tetraplegia. Currently, there are few therapeutic options for these conditions, which are mainly directed toward the acute phase, such as surgical intervention and high-dose steroid administration. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have been shown to improve neurological function following spinal cord injury. The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and potential efficacy of MSC transplantation in patients with cervical traumatic SCI. Methods: We included seven subjects with chronic traumatic SCI (> 1 year) at the cervical level, classified as American Spinal Cord Injury Association impairment scale (AIS) grade A. Subjects received two doses of autologous bone marrow derived MSC, the first by direct injection into the lesion site after hemilaminectomy and the second three months later by intrathecal injection. Neurologic evaluation, spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), urodynamics, and life quality questionnaires were assessed before and after treatment. Results: Cell transplantation was safe without severe or moderate adverse effects, and the procedures were well tolerated. Neurological evaluation revealed discrete improvements in sensitivity below the lesion level, following treatment. Five subjects showed some degree of bilateral sensory improvement for both superficial and deep mechanical stimuli compared to the pretreatment profile. No significant alterations in bladder function were observed during this study. Conclusion: Transplantation of autologous MSC in patients with chronic cervical SCI is a safe and feasible procedure. Further studies are required to confirm the efficacy of this therapeutic approach. Clinical trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02574572, identifier NCT02574572.
RESUMO
Os meningiomas estão entre os tumores benignos mais comuns do canal espinhal, em adultos, encontrados, predominantemente, nos segmentos torácicos. Segundo a literatura, a ocorrência de um meningioma intramedular cervical é muito rara, com apenas oito trabalhos científicos relatados até o momento. Apresentaremos o nono relato de caso ? talvez o primeiro relato publicado na literatura médica brasileira ? e revisaremos os estudos anteriores. Paciente, de 40 anos de idade, iniciou com sintomas de fraqueza na mão direita e dores cervicais que se agravavam durante a noite. A ressonância magnética revelou lesão intramedular extensa cervical. A paciente foi submetida somente à biópsia, por causa de dificuldades na ressecção, sendo depois proposta radioterapia. O tumor teve uma discreta redução, a paciente permaneceu sem piora dos sinais e sintomas durante os oito anos de evolução. Embora muito raros, meningiomas intramedulares cervicais existem e devem estar no diagnóstico diferencial de tumores nessa localização. O principal tratamento dessas lesões, de acordo com relatos anteriores, é a cirurgia, com bons resultados.
Meningiomas are among the most common benign tumours of the spinal canal in adults, found predominantly in the thoracic segments. According to the literature, the occurrence of an intramedullary cervical meningioma is very rare, with only eight scientific papers reported in the literature so far. We present the ninth case report ? probably the first reported in the Brazilian medical literature ? and review the previous reports. 40-year-old patient, who started the symptoms with weakness in her right hand and neck pain that worsened at night. The MRI revealed extensive intramedullary cervical lesion. The patient underwent biopsy only and, then, underwent radiotherapy. The tumor had a slight reduction and the patient remained without worsening of signs and symptoms during the eight years of evolution. Although very rare, intramedullary cervical meningiomas should be in the differential diagnosis of tumors of this location. The main treatment of these lesions, according to previous reports, is surgery with excellent results.