[Intramedullary cholesteatomas]

Four cases are described of intramedullary cholesteatomas in the thoracic segment of the spine in patients from 14 to 42 years of age. Clinical observations noted the slow increase of symptoms of spinal compression in the form of asymmetric motor disorders and disturbances of sensibility. CSF blocks were found in all patients. Operations were performed on all female patients in whom a firm bulb-shaped thickening of the spine was determined. The spinal cord was dissected longitudinally and the tumour removed radically. The patients' movements were restored in periods ranging from 3 months to 2 years.