A case of congenital intraspinal neuroblastoma with paraplegia in a ne
wborn is described, and a review of previously reported cases is prese
nted. Calcification within the spinal canal and abdominal mass was not
ed. At age 75 days, the patient underwent a resection of almost the en
tire retroperitonial tumor. A magnetic resonance scan showed hepatic m
etastasis, and chemotherapy was changed to a more intensive regimen. T
he liver metastasis disappeared; however, neurological signs persisted
. A literature review of 38 cases showed 26 patients had a laminectomy
and 12 patients did not. Treatment with or without laminectomy was as
sociated with a poor prognosis for neurological recovery, suggesting c
ord compression must occur antenatally, and irreversible damage occurs
before birth. Congenital intraspinal neuroblastoma has a relatively g
ood prognosis (survival rate, 91.9%), although complete neurological r
ecovery is highly unusual. Based on these findings, the authors conclu
de that a laminectomy is not indicated for those patients. Copyright (
C) 1997 by W.B. Saunders Company.