Radiological assessment of spinal cord tumor by myelographic finding

ABSTRACT

The authors analyzed a series of 49 cases of spinal cord tumor confirmed by operation and biopsy at Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeonju, from Jan. 1977 to Dec. 1981. Histologically vertified spinal cord tumors wereneurofibroma(36.7% 18/49), meningioma(22.5%; 11/49), ependymoma(18.5%; 9/49), metastasis(10.2%; 5/49),astrocytoma(6.1%; 3/49), epidermoid (2.0%;1.49), glioblastoma multiforme(2.0%;1/49), and diffuse non-Hodgkin'slymphoma(2.0%;1.49). The results were as follows; 1. The most frequently encountered tumor was the intraduralextramedulary tumor(55.1%;27/49). The other tumors, in descending order, were intramedullary tumor(26.5%; 13/49),extradural extradural extramedullary tumor(10.2%;5/49), and intra-&extradural extramedullary tumor(8.2%;4/49).The most frequently encoutered tumor was neurofibroma(36.7%; 18/49). Four of the 18 neurofibroma were intra-&extradural extramedullary tumor, and three(3/4) were dumbbell type of neurofibroma. 2. Only 3 cases occurred under20 years of age. They were glioblastoma multiforme, neurofibroma and epidermoid. 3. No sex predominance of spinalcord tumor was seen, but the majority of the meningiomas occurred in females(81.8%). 4. The most frequent site oftumors was the thoracic region(53.1%;26/49). The order sites were the cervical regions(2.0%;1/49) . 5. Thirteencases (26.5%) showed bony changs on preliminary roentgenograms of the spine. None showed bony changes inextradural extramedullary tumor. 6. As a rule, the myelographic deformities produced by intramedullary tumorshowed fairly long fusiform dilatation of the contrast column without displacement of the spinal cord; theextradural extramedullary tumor showed coarse transverse serrated block of the contrast column; and the intraduralextramedullary tumor showed cup defect of the contrast column.