Dumb-bell-type teratoma in the lumbar spine.

We report a case of a lumbar teratoma in a 50-year-old woman. The teratoma showed a dumb-bell-type expansion at the level of the left L3/4 foramen with massive erosion of the L3 vertebral body. MRI revealed inhomogeneous signal changes in the tumor, which were histologically compatible with a mixture of bone, muscle, fat, and cyst containing sebaceous material. Complete resection of the tumor and spinal arthrodesis with pedicle screw fixation was necessary to obtain stability of the affected spinal segment.