A case of pan-medullary astrocytoma in a child.

The authors report a case of a Grade 2 astrocytoma with pan-medullary extension, from C1 to L2, in a little girl aged 12. It was successfully operated on. The clinical picture showed an initial acute paraplegia which suddenly turned into tetraplegia with respiratory insufficiency and second degree coma. Besides the rarity of the case, some atypical aspects are pointed out, such as the patient's youth and the partially aggressive character of the neoplasm. The surgical implications of such pan-medullary tumours are discussed, the authors emphasize the aspects that in their opinion indicate exploratory surgery and, when possible, total removal of the tumours.