Froin's Syndrome due to Spinal Paraganglioma - A Case Report

Abstract

Yellow coloured, i.e. xanthochromic cerebrospinal fluid,  with  hypercoagulability  and  high  protein  con- tent is pathognomic of Froin's syndrome. We present a  case  of  Froin's  syndrome  in  a  patient  with  spinal paraganglioma.

A 55-year-old male patient presented with urinary hesitancy, numbness in lower limbs and difficulty in walking. During spinal anaesthesia, the anaesthetist  noticed  xanthochromic  spinal  fluid.  Upon  mag-  netic resonance imaging lumbosacral,  an  intradural  focal  lesion  of  abnormal  signal  intensity  extend-  ing from T12-L1 vertebral  level  was  seen.  Laminectomy  with  excision  of  the  mass  was  performed  and a fleshy encapsulated mass was excised. Histopathology report showed the specimen to be a neoplastic lesion, and immuno-histochemical studies confirmed the mass to be a paraganglioma.

This case emphasizes that in  case  of  Froin's  syndrome,  one  should  think  of  spinal  cord  tumours  while evaluating the patient. A magnetic resonance imaging of the spine should also be done to look for spinal pathology along with other investigations.