General Considerations

Abstract

The traditional division of primary intradural-extramedullary spinal tumours, intramedullary and epidural tumours is still used today to describe tumours on the basis of location. However, one must also consider that a meningioma can grow towards the inner spinal dura and in the epidural site, thereby becoming extrameningeal at the same time. The various forms of development are associated with the histological nature of the tumour; benign characteristics and transformation processes towards malignancy, which brings about an alteration in the dimension of the tumour although the tumour attachment remains well defined.