Anaplastic astrocytoma of the spinal cord presenting with features of raised intracranial pressure.

Intramedullary tumors of the spinal cord in childhood are usually of low grades (grades I and II) and are most commonly seen in the cervical and cervicothoracic regions. They present with symptoms and signs of spinal cord tumor. It is uncommon to find an anaplastic astrocytoma situated in the thoracolumbar segment of the spinal cord. Whereas papilledema and raised intracranial symptoms have been reported in about 12.5% of cases of spinal cord tumors it is rare to find them presenting initially only with symptoms of raised intracranial pressure and only later followed by spinal cord symptoms. The case of an 11-year-old female child is reported here because of a combination of these two rare features.