Intradural spinal teratoma: evidence for a dysembryogenic origin - Report of four cases

Intradural spinal teratoma is a rare tumor that can be associated with dysr aphic defects. Although the origin of these tumors is traditionally thought to be secondary to primordial germ cells misplaced early in embryogenesis, the pathogenesis of intraspinal teratoma remains unclear. The authors pres ent a series of patients in whom an intradural teratoma arose at the same s ite as a developmental spinal cord abnormality, including a split cord malf ormation, myelomeningocele, and lipomyelomeningocele. It is postulated that these lesions were the result of a dysembryogenic mechanism and were not n eoplastic.