Demographic, clinical and histopathological characteristics and outcome of primary spinal tumors in a tertiary care center in Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: Primary spinal tumors are described based on their location as intramedullary, intradural extramedullary, and extradural tumors. Advancements in imaging and surgical techniques have significantly improved the outcome. There are very few studies describing demographics and clinical characteristics of patients with spinal tumors from Nepal. The aim of this study is to describe demographic, clinical and histopathological characteristics and outcome of patients with spinal tumors in a University Hospital in Nepal.

Methods: Review of hospital records and follow up reports of all patients who were operated for spinal tumors at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal from January 2019 to January 2021 was done. Age, sex, clinical presentation, site of the tumor, degree of resection, histopathological diagnosis and neurological outcome in 3 months were analyzed.

Results: Of 41 primary spinal tumors, 56% were male patients. The most frequent tumor site was the thoracic (46.3%) followed by the cervical (24.4%) and the lumbar level (12.2%). The most common anatomical location was intradural extramedullary (51.2%). Spinal tumors were most common in the age group of less than 20 years (43.9%). Most of the patients presented with both sensory and motor symptoms (65.9%). Gross total excision of the tumor was done in 78.1%. Improved post-operative neurological status was seen in 80.5% in 3 months.

Conclusions: Results from this study document the demographic characteristics, histological subgroups, symptoms and signs, treatment, and frequency of complications in patients with spinal tumors. Data presented here can be used to gain a better understanding of patients with spinal tumors and to provide a baseline for future studies.