Summary
Twelve patients with symptoms and signs simulating lumbar disc disease were found to have intradural tumours in the lumbosacral area. Of the nine patients with a neurofibroma, two had previously had a laminectomy for an erroneous diagnosis of disc herniation and one had three separate tumours which were excised in two successive operations. One of the three patients with an ependymoma had a coccygectomy before the correct diagnosis was made. Only one patient who had an ependymoma showed radiographic abnormalities suggesting a neoplastic lesion, but eight of the ten cases in which the cerebrospinal fluid was analysed had a protein content exceeding 50 mg per 100 ml. Myelography provided the correct diagnosis in all cases. Excision of the tumour resulted in full clinical recovery except for one patient with an ependymoma.
Résumé
Chez douze malades présentant une symptomatologie évocatrice d'une hernie discale lombaire, on a découvert une tumeur intradurale. Des neuf patients porteurs d'un neurofibrome, deux avaient subi auparavant une laminectomie du fait d'une erreur de diagnostic avec une hernie discale et un avait trois tumeurs distinctes dont l'ablation nécessita deux interventions successives. Un des trois malades atteints d'épendymome avait subi une résection du coccyx avant que le diagnostic exact ait été posé. Un seul patient, porteur d'un épendymome, présentait des anomalies radiologiques évocatrices d'une lésion néoplasique, mais huit des dix sujets chez lesquels a été pratiqué l'examen du liquidecéphalo-rachidien avaient une albuminorachie supérieure à 50 mg pour 100 ml. La myélographie a permis un diagnostic correct dans tous les cas. L'éxérèse de la tumeur a toujours permis d'obtenir la guérison complète, sauf chez un malade porteur d'un épendymome.
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Postacchini, F., Urso, S. & Tovaglia, V. Lumbosacral intradural tumours simulating disc disease. International Orthopaedics 5, 283–289 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00271084
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00271084