Abstract: Objective To evaluate the clinical features, strategy of surgery, and prognosis of the patients with filum terminale ependymal neoplasm. Methods The clinical features, imaging findings, pathologic manifestation, operative details and prognosis of 13 patients with filum terminale ependymal neoplasm operated in the department of neurosurgery between 2009 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Results The most common location of the tumor was in T12-L3, with the length between 1.5cm and 11 cm (average 4.1cm). Seven of 13 patients (54%) were reported as WHO grade I myxopapillary ependymoma, the other 6 patients (46%) were reported as WHO grade II ependymoma. Surgically gross total resection (GTR) was obtained in 10 patients without any recurrence in the follow up period. The subtotal resection (STR) was obtained in the other 3 patients, in which 2 patients with WHO grade II ependymoma relapsed in the follow up period although adjuvant radiotherapy was adopted post-operatively. Except these 2 relapsed patients, the modified Mccormick Scale of the other 11 patients improved at least 1 level or remained at the pre-operative levels. Conclusions Gross total resection (GTR) is the most efficient method for the ependymal neoplasms of filum terminale.

Key words: filum terminale, ependymoma, myxopapillary ependymoma, pathology