Tumours of hte central nervous system: analysis of 476 cases observed at the University Hospital of the West Indies

A statistical survey of the incidence, age and sx distribution, and preferential sites of occurrence of tumours of the central nervous system observed at the University Hospital of the West Indies during a 15-year period is presented. Four hundred and seventy-six histologically confirmed neoplasms were recorded. Intracranial tumours were 7 times as common as those of the spinal cord. Of 416 intracrianl neoplasms, ther were 40% neuropithelial tumors, 21% meningiomas, 15% pituitary adenomas, 9% metastic lesions, 6% congenital tumours, 5% vasoformative tumours, 3% nerve sheath tumours and 1% unclassified neoplasms. Men and women were equally affected. Meningiomas and pituitary adenomas were more frequent than in otherreported series. Metastases were relatively more frequent in the spinal than in the intracranial group. Of the primary spinal tumours, those of nerve sheath origin were nearly three times as common as the meningiomas

Intramedullary schwannoma of the spinal cord

A rare case of solitary, dorsally locared, intramedullary schwannoma of the thoracic spinal cord is reported in a 54-year-old man. The pathogenesis of the rumour in this location is discussed