[Intramedullary tumours and pseudotumours]

Swelling of the spinal cord and/or enhancement after intravenous gadolinium administration are not always specific features of intramedullary tumour. These may also be seen in association with several diseases of inflammatory, infectious, granulomatous or vascular origin. A tumour is characterized by its sagittal location, axial topography: central, lateral or exophytic, its size and size of the spinal canal, macroscopic components: calcium, fat, methemoglobin, melanin, hemosiderin, vascular pedicle, cystic component, enhancement after intravenous gadolinium administration, effect on the spinal cord tracts and edema. Characteristics: astrocytoma is lateral and infiltrative, ependymoma is central with white matter tract displacement and hemosiderin cap, hemangioblastoma is postero-lateral and shows enhancement with a vascular pedicle, metastases are very edematous or leptomeningeal in location.