[Tumours of the nerve root sheath in the spine]

Abstract

Introduction: Spinal schwannomas account for about 30% of intradural spinal cord tumors in adults. More are solitary tumors, which can occur throughout the spinal canal. The multiple form of neurofibromas is known as von Recklinghausen disease. AIM. To analyze clinical and radiologic characteristics, treatment and evolution of patients with spinal nerve sheath tumor.

Patients and methods: This was a retrospective study in a series of patients treated surgically of spinal schwannomas during 25 years. The following variables were evaluated: gender, age, symptomatology, radiological findings, localization, surgical findings and results.

Results: We treated 35 male and 33 female with a mean age of 55 years (range: 12-76 years).The most common pre-surgical symptom was local or radicular pain in 55 patients (80.8%). In 49 cases (66.2%), the tumor was sited in the lumbosacral, in 15 cases (20.2%) in the dorsal tract, and in 10 cases (13.6%) in the cervical tract. Total removal was achieved in 70 cases (94.5%) and subtotal resection in 4 (5.5%). 66 tumors (89.1%) were schwannomas and the other 8 cases (10.9%) neurofibromas.

Conclusions: Tumors of the spinal root sheaths can occur at any level of the spinal canal. Most patients present with local and/or radicular pain and in most cases total resection its possible with good functional recovery.