Surgical management of intramedullary cervical spinal sarcoidosis complicated by transient unilateral weakness: A case report

Background: Sarcoidosis, a multisystem inflammatory non-caseating granulomatous disease, can present with neurologic lesions in up to 10% of patients. Case Description: A 57-year-old male presented with three months of worsening upper extremity radicular pain associated with dysmetria, hyperreflexia, bilateral Hoffman’s, and positive Babinski signs. The contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a diffuse T2 signal hyperintensity and T1-enhancing 2.5 cm lesion extending sagittally between C4 and C6. The cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed a high protein level and lymphocytic pleocytosis. A cardiac positron emission tomography scan was consistent with the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis. With the diagnosis of multisystemic/probable neurosarcoidosis, the patient was unsuccessfully treated with intravenous methylprednisolone, followed by infliximab. Due to severe cord compression/myelopathy, a C3–C6 laminectomy and C3–C7 posterior spinal fusion were performed. Postoperatively, the patient developed a transient right-sided hemiparesis. Over nine postoperative months, the patient had four relapses of transient repeated episodes of paresis, although follow-up cervical MRI scans revealed adequate cord decompression with a stable intramedullary hyperintense lesion. Conclusion: Patients with neurosarcoidosis respond unpredictably to surgical decompression and require prolonged medical care, which is often unsuccessful.