Intradural Spinal Tumors

Abstract

The spinal cord is especially well protected by the surrounding CSF, the meningeal envelopes and the bony spine. Intradural tumors are rare lesions: they include intramedullary and intradural extramedullary tumors (Fischer and Brotchi 1996). In a general hospital, of all spinal tumors only 5% are intramedullary whereas 40% are intradural extramedullary and 55% are extradural. Some tumors may initially be intramedullary and become eventually exophytic, growing out of the medulla (extramedullary ependymoma, extramedullary astrocytoma). On the contrary, some extramedullary intradural tumors may grow into the cord like schwannomas. Finally, primary intradural extramedullary tumors may expand towards the extra-dural space such as schwannomas or meningiomas. Extradural tumors are most often malignant lesions, rapidly evolving and originating from the epidural or latero-vertebral space: they are described in Chapters 19 and 20.KeywordsSpinal CordCervical Spinal CordDermoid CystSpinal TumorCavernous MalformationThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.