Spinal cord tumours in the form of hourglass are neoplasms consisting of two or three segments, joined bу а narrow pedicle of tumorous mass, on of the segments being located inside the spinal саnаl. N. I. Razdolski points out that their incidence amounts to 5-6% of that of spinal cord tumours. According to Pavlovski their incidence, in compilance with literature data, fluctuates between 0,8 and 10,3%. The personal observations of the author comprise 16 cases out of а total of 150 tumours of the spinal cord. No reports in Bulgarian literature were found on similar tumours.
The peculiarity of hourglass tumours of the spinal cord consists in the fact that they are frequently situated with their major mass projecting externally of the spinal саnаl, and thereby leading to lesion of the spinal cord and other organs as well. Due to the larger size of the extravertebral mass, the same is more readily recognized, the complaints of the patients are connected with it and especially if the objective neurological symptomathology is weakly manifested, the intervertebral mass remains undetected and the surgeon proceeds towards its extirpation through an operative approach not providing for the total extirpation of the neoplasm.
Кадин, Л. С. – Опухоли спинного мозга и позвоночника, Дисс., М., 1947.
Павловский, Я. М. – Вопр. неврох., 1, 24-29, 1951.
Павловский, Я. М. - Вопр. неврох., 6. 43-45. 1956
Пеньковой, К. И. - Вопр. неврох., 5, 53, 1964
Раздольский, И. Я. – Руководство по неврологии, т. V, 482-542, 1962.
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