Unusual Presentation of Pilocytic Astrocytoma

Pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) is the benign variant of astrocytic tumours. Pilocytic(Greek word Pilos=hair) refers to frequent presence of cells with bipolar hairlike processes. Pilocytic tumours are juvenile astrocytomas commonly presenting during first two decades of life with a lowered occurrence in adults. Cerebellum is the favoured site. Spinal cord is the rare site of presentation. We report a case of an adult intramedullary spinal pilocytic astrocytoma in a thirty four year old male. Conclusion: An awareness of existence of spinal cord pilocytic astrocytoma is essential to facilitate an accurate diagnosis and to minimize possibility of mistaking it for a more aggressive Fibrillary or anaplastic astrocytoma. Newer modalities help in diagnosing this indolent tumour which is amenable to surgical cure.