[Cerebrospinal fluid dynamics in tumors of the spinal cord and cauda equina].

Changes in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) flow were analyzed in 196 patients with spinal cord tumors of differing localization and histological structure. In 76.5% of the cases there were different variants of CSF flow disorders, namely, complete block in 33.7% and partial block in 42.8% of the cases. The nature of CSF flow disorders depended on the size of tumors, their histological structure and the relationship of the tumor to the cross-section area and the surface of the spinal cord. Yet, in 23.5% of the cases the subarachnoidal space was patent despite marked spinal neurological symptomatology. This fact shows that the complete patency of the subarachnoidal space does not rule out spinal cord tumor, which necessitates the conduction of comprehensive clinical examination in suspected cases.