Endodermal sinus tumour of the posteroinferior mediastinum resembling dumbbell neuroblastoma in a child.

A male infant presenting with paraplegia due to intraspinal extension of an endodermal sinus tumour in the posteroinferior mediastinum is reported. Dumbbell tumours are usually observed in mediastinal neuroblastomas, and rarely in rhabdomyosarcomas of the chest wall. The present case demonstrates the clinical similarity of endodermal sinus tumours to neuroblastomas with extradural extension. Therefore, endodermal sinus tumours should be considered in the differential diagnosis of posterior mediastinal masses, because of the distinctly different treatment from that for other tumours.