Acute Presentation Of A Filum Terminale Ependymoma In A Geriatric Patient

Filum terminale ependymomas (FTE) commonly present insidiously and are uncommon among the geriatric population. We report here a rare case of spontaneous intratumoral haemorrhage from a FTE in an 80-year old patient. The initial symptomatology of acute back pain and lumbar radiculopathy mimicked the common emergency room presentation of acute lumbar disc herniation. The patient subsequently developed acute cauda equine syndrome necessitating urgent surgical intervention. We believe this is the first reported case of a contained intratumoral haemorrhage from a FTE in a patient of the geriatric age group. The case also illustrated the increasingly common encounter of the perioperative management of the nonreversible anticoagulant and antiplatelet agents in the context of emergency surgery.