[The pseudo-vascular syndrome of intracrânial metastases (author's transl)].

Our statistic consist of 162 cases of metastatic tumors of the brain (M.T.B.), of which 120 verified under surgery or at autopsy, and 42 diagnosed in the pre-operative phase and not undergone surgery. The pseudo-vascular form has been found in 58 cases (36%). If we only consider the supratentorial localizations, this percentage rises to 43,5%. This onset of symptomatology is quite predominant in males (52 cases 42%) compared to females (6 cases: 16%). The MTBs that in our statistics produce a greater frequence of pseudo-vascular forms are the MTBs of melanomas (66%), those of unknown origin (42%) and those of pulmonary origin (35%). These neoplasms are distinctly more frequent in males. On the contrary the mammary metastases responsible for most of the female MTBs originate to a pseudo-vascular form in only 22% of the cases. The etio-pathogenetic mechanism is double; it may be the manifestation either of arterial occlusion by neoplastic cells (embolia neoplastica attiva) or of disruption of the vascular wall and hemorrhage. As far as the diagnosis is concerned this syndrome can be quite easily recognised only when an extraneuraxial tumor is found, especially with a marked neuraxial tropism.