[Rosenthal fibres and vascular anomalies in cerebral gangliocytomas (author's transl)].

The Authors describe three cases of gangliogliomas histologically studied among 3100 neoplasias of the CNS. In one case the study was supported by the cytological observations on the in vitro cultures as performed with the roll technique. The tumors differed in location and clinical behaviour, but showed the same histological characteristics of mixed neoplasias. In fact in all cases a component of mature ganglion cells together with glial proliferation of spongioblastic type was identified. Particular attention was given to the vascular stroma and to the morphological aspects of the glial proliferation. All tumors presented a large amount of anomalous vessels frequently of angiomatous type. Beside neuronal cells, a neoplastic glial cell proliferation was identified as of spongioblastic nature by means of in vitro culture and on the basis of particular degenerative changes typical of the spongioblastic elements, such as Rosenthal fibres. According to the Authors these data support the hamarto-blastomatous origin of the oncotype.