Introduction Cavernous malformations (CMs) rarely occur in the spinal cord and account for less than 10% of all CMs. However, since the broad use of high-resolution magnetic scans, CMs of the spinal cord are found more often and currently represent…
Introduction Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) are the most common vascular lesion of the spinal cord, and they account for 70% of all AV shunts of the spine. Type I dAVFs are defined as an abnormal intradural low flow communication…
Introduction Basilar invagination (BI) is among the common pathological conditions afflicting the cranio-cervical junction. Primary development is associated with syndromic conditions such as trisomy 21, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and Marfan syndrome; secondary development is associated with inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid…
Introduction The incidence of vertebral osteomyelitis is approximately 1 per 100,000 per year worldwide ; however, this incidence increases with age up to 6.5 per 100,000 among persons older than 70 years of age. Overall, vertebral infections represent 1% of…
Introduction Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is often caused by structural defects in the dura within the spinal canal or along the nerve root sleeve. Although rare, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) venous fistula has also been recognized recently as a cause of spontaneous…
Introduction Chordoma is a malignant tumor of the bone and should be always considered when a midline tumor of the axial skeleton is found. The majority of chordomas affect the sacral region, representing 49% of all the cases. There is…
Introduction Chordomas are uncommon malignant neoplasms of the bone that can arise anywhere along the central nervous system. These tumors originate from persisting remnants of the notochord, and their behavior is aggressive due to their invasiveness and high recurrence rates.…
Introduction Intradural extramedullary thoracic spinal cord tumors are rare entities that cause thoracic myelopathy and occasionally radiculopathy. These tumors occur in 5 to 10 per 100,000 persons. The two most common intradural extramedullary pathological diagnoses are schwannomas and meningiomas. Schwannomas…
Introduction Foramen magnum meningiomas comprise a rare group of neoplasms that affect primarily the lower cranial nerves and cervico-medullary junction. Meningiomas located on this region represent 1.8%–3.2 % of all meningiomas and 8.6 % of all spinal meningiomas. Although infrequent,…
Introduction Primary glioblastoma (GBM) of the spinal cord is a rare condition that contributes to just 1.5% of all spinal tumors. This neoplasm most commonly affects the cervical spine or the cervico-thoracic junction in at least 60% of the cases…