Endoscopic transoral resection for an upper cervical chordoma in a pediatric patient.

BACKGROUND: Upper cervical chordoma (UCC) is a rare disease, and although transoral approaches are the methods of choice, minimally invasive techniques have not been established.

METHOD: We report the successful use of endoscopic transoral surgery for upper cervical chordoma at the C1-3 levels in the midline epidural space in an 8-year-old girl who presented with neck pain and quadriplegia. Three months after occipitocervical posterior fixation, endoscopic transoral surgery was performed and the tumor was nearly totally removed.

CONCLUSION: Endoscopic transoral surgery in pediatric patients with UCCs is a minimally invasive and safe technique.