Myelopathy presenting as an intrinsic spinal cord tumor

Two patients are presented who became progressively quadriplegic with myelographic appearances suggesting intrinsic spinal cord tumors. In both cases, laminectomy and biopsy of the spinal cord disclosed non-neoplastic conditions (neuromyelitis optica and acute necrotic myelopathy) confirmed at autopsy. Since surgery is not helpful in such cases, the problems of differentiation between such lesions and intraspinal tumors are reviewed.