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Spinal cord meningiomas in the elderly
1Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, Australia.
The clinical features of six women with spinal cord meningioma are presented. These cases comprise the neurosurgical experience of one of the authors (B.B.) over approximately a 3-year period. Median age was 76 years with a range of 65-89 years. Previous reports of this disorder have not emphasized the occurrence of this tumour in the later decades. A notable feature was delay in diagnosis. Only one patient had a correct diagnosis of spinal cord compression prior to admission. Incorrect diagnoses included diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, degenerative spinal disease, gait disturbance secondary to fall and a thalamic cerebrovascular accident. Gait disorders at presentation included paraparesis, wide-based gait and unclassified disability. All patients had pyramidal tract signs and five had a truncal sensory level. Plain radiographs of the spine were unhelpful and can dissuade the physician from the diagnosis. All tumours were in the thoracic region. Surgery resulted in cure in all patients and diverted one patient from planned institutional care. Spinal cord meningioma should be considered in elderly patients presenting with gait disorder.
The clinical features of six women with spinal cord meningioma are presented. These cases comprise the neurosurgical experience of one of the authors (B.B.) over approximately a 3-year period. Median age was 76 years with a range of 65-89 years. Previous reports of this disorder have not emphasized the occurrence of this tumour in the later decades. A notable feature was delay in diagnosis. Only one patient had a correct diagnosis of spinal cord compression prior to admission. Incorrect diagnoses included diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, degenerative spinal disease, gait disturbance secondary to fall and a thalamic cerebrovascular accident. Gait disorders at presentation included paraparesis, wide-based gait and unclassified disability. All patients had pyramidal tract signs and five had a truncal sensory level. Plain radiographs of the spine were unhelpful and can dissuade the physician from the diagnosis. All tumours were in the thoracic region. Surgery resulted in cure in all patients and diverted one patient from planned institutional care. Spinal cord meningioma should be considered in elderly patients presenting with gait disorder.