Cervical extradural and extraspinal ependymoma mimicking dumb-bell schwannoma: an unusual tumor.

Ependymomas are common in intramedullary location and extradural location of the spinal cord is very rare. A few cases in the lumbosacral region have been reported. This report presents a cervical dumb-bell ependymoma with a small intraspinal extradural component and a large extraspinal component in the posterior triangle of the neck. The tumor was excised in two stages. This is probably the first such case report in the cervical region in the world literature. Possible histogenesis of ependymoma in this location is also discussed.