Diffusion-weighted Imaging of an Atypical Teratoid/rhabdoid Tumor of the Cervical Spine

Abstract

Spinal atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is a rare, aggressive malignant neoplasm of the central nervous system usually seen in young children and infants. We present diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) findings for an intradural extramedullary AT/RT in the cervical spine of a 6-year-old boy. High signal on DWI and low apparent diffusion coefficients may represent high cellularity of the tumor. These findings indicated a highly malignant tumor.