[Sudden tetraplegia caused by hemorrhage in a central-medullary astrocytoma].

A case is reported of central-medullary cervical astrocytoma, which without any previous history is shown by a sudden pattern of tetraplegia and breathing insufficiency. The myelography suggested the existence of an expansive intramedullary process, carrying out an urgent surgical decompression and evacuating a central-medullary hematoma in relation to a glial benign type. Various aspects of the sudden tetraplegia are discussed.