Thoracic intramedullary chordoma without bone involvement: a rare clinical entity

An 8-year-old boy presented with a 1-year history of low backache, followed by paraparesis and urinary incontinence. MRI of the thoracic spine revealed an intramedullary, intensely contrast-enhancing lesion extending from T11 to L1 vertebral level, consistent with astrocytoma, ependymoma or haemangioblastoma. A diagnosis of intramedullary chordoma was made on tissue biopsy and immunohistochemical study. This is the second report of an intramedullary chordoma without bone involvement in English literature. After 6 months of follow-up, patient showed good clinical outcome in terms of improvement in power in lower limbs and backache.