Vertebral metastases and spinal cord compression

Clinical interest in spinal compression and resultant paraplegia due to metastases has mounted in recent years. This has stimulated attention to the neuropathology of the condition. Fourteen cases of spinal cord compression due to vertebral metastases are compared with over 100 traumatic cases. In the traumatic lesions there is central haemorrhagic necrosis leading to cavitation and gliosis with nerve root regeneration in the late stages. In the metastatic cases, lesions are often peripheral, pie-shaped and are related to vascular factors. The neuropathology of cord necrosis due to metastatic spinal disease is therefore different to trauma. These observations have clinical importance in planning treatment.