Astrocytomas involving the whole spinal cord. Two case reports

We present two patients with an astrocytoma, involving the whole spinal cord. Operation was performed in both cases: one patient died because of complications after the operation, the condition of the other patient improved greatly. In the literature we could find three other cases of astrocytoma, extending into more than ten segments of the spinal cord. The clinical picture and the differential diagnosis with ependymomas of the same length are discussed.