ABSTRACT

Cryptococcus neoformans is a yeast that most commonly infects the central nervous system. Meningitis and meningoencephalitis are the most common presentations of cryptococcosis. Cryptococcoma, however, is a rare entity characterized by localized, solid, tumor-like masses that are usually found in the cerebral hemispheres or cerebellum, but are extremely rare in the spinal cord. We report a case of an immunocompetent patient with intramedullary cryptococcoma in the spinal cord, which presented as a spinal tumor. Diagnosis was made by histological examination of the surgical specimen.

Keywords: intramedullary cryptococcoma • cryptococcosis • magnetic resonance imaging