Conus Medullaris Teratoma in an Adolescent: A Case Report and Literature Review.
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Teratomas are benign germ cell tumors that typically develop outside their usual anatomical origin. Their location in the spinal cord is exceedingly rare. Here, we report the case of a 12-year-old female adolescent who presented with a history of persistent lower back pain and progressive paraplegia. Spinal MRI revealed a well-circumscribed hyperintense lesion with a fat component at the level of the conus medullaris. The patient underwent a T12-L2 laminectomy, and a subtotal resection of the lesion was performed due to its strong adherence to neural structures. Histopathological analysis confirmed a mature teratoma. The patient exhibited marked neurological improvement during follow-up. Although total tumor excision is the preferred approach, subtotal resection is a viable alternative in cases where the tumor capsule is tightly adherent to neural tissue, given the low recurrence rates reported in the literature.