Abstract

MUCI-MENDOZA, Rafael et al. “La obstrucción estaba más abajo….” Tumores de la médula espinal e hipertensión intracraneal. Gac Méd Caracas [online]. 2007, vol.115, n.1, pp.71-77. ISSN 0367-4762.

Increased intracranial pressure, hydrocephalus and papilledema are occasionally observed in patients harboring spinal tumors in the cervical region or at the craniocervical junction, and among others, the mechanical obstruction to the cerebrospinal fluid circulation is assumed to be responsible for such symptoms and signs. *Perla de Observación Clínica presentada en la sesión ordinaria de la Academia Nacional de Medicina del jueves 21 de enero de 2006. **Unidad de Neuro-Oftalmología del Hospital Vargas de Caracas, UCV. Facultad de Medicina. Escuela de Medicina José María Vargas. Cátedra de Clínica y Terapéutica Médica B. In memoriam, Dr. Carlos Schnider (q.e.p.d.). However, increased intracranial pressure is very rare in spinal tumors located in the thoraco-lumbar region. Two patients are described by the authors in whom a benign thoracolumbar tumor (benign schwannoma and paraganglioma) was associated with symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, hydrocephalus and papiledema. It has been suggested that this kind of lesions could actively interfere with cerebrospinal fluid dynamics by their mass effect, especially by preventing the expansion of the dural sac and spinal subarachnoid space which may play some roce in compensating for volume changes and intracranial pressure.

Keywords : Intracranial hypertension; Spinal tumor; Papilledema; Benign schwannoma.; Paraganglioma; Optic nerve sheath fenestration.