Intramedullary mass lesions of the spinal cord.

Intramedullary tumors form 10% of all the spinal cord tumors. Majority of them are gliomas and rarely benign tumors are encountered. Twenty five cases of intramedullary mass lesions are studied regarding their clinical presentation, radiological features, surgical aspects and outcome following the surgery and radiotherapy. There were six benign lesions where the outcome was excellent. There were 11 patients with astrocytoma and 8 cases with ependymoma. In all, arrest of the disease or improvement could be achieved in 20 cases. Extent of surgical resection and role of radiotherapy, which are still controversial, are discussed.