This now 67 year old man had a severe electrical burn in a work injury in 1993. At that time 20.000 volts entered through his right arm and exited through his legs. The severe burns necessitated left above-knee and a right foot amputations and reconstructive surgery to the knee, genitals and the right hand. Subsequent to this, he experienced chronic back pain and constant phantom limb pain. Superimposed on his back pain were severe shock-like pains originating in the left back radiating down his phantom left leg. Strangely these sensations could almost be completely relieved by floating in water and lying flat. In addition, he noted urinary frequency and inability to obtain erections. Previously, he had been in robust good health although he had noticed a birthmark on his low back.

His examination showed in 1996 evidence of his previous amputations and burns. Neurologic examination was difficult because of these. An MRI scan showed intradural lesion extending out from the spinal cord at the T12 level of uncertain significance. This lesion was followed over the next four years. His pain became less and less tolerable requiring the use of Dilaudid and numerous Tylenols. Because of this intractable pain he underwent exploration of the spinal cord lesion the 11th of May, 2001. At operation there was a lobulated whitish yellow, dorsally exophytic, 1.5 cm diameter tumor. It originated in the spinal cord but grew into the subarachnoid spaces and abutted on, but was not adherent to the dorsal dura; the dura appeared to be thinner in consistency then elsewhere. The tumor itself was centrally cystic and there was a small syrinx in the cord. The dorsal columns of the spinal cord appeared to spread around the tumor and were displaced by it. Grossly total resection of the exophytic portions of the tumor was obtained.