[Effectiveness of surgical treatment in metastases of spinal cord neoplasms: on the basis of the authors' own material].

The authors present 11 patients operated on for metastatic tumours of the vertebral canal. The main symptom was pain lasting for from 3 weeks to 8 months prior to the development of spinal cord compression. The primary focus was diagnosed and treated primarily surgically in only 2 patients. In all cases laminectomy was done for removal of the epidural or intravertebral body part of the tumour and in 3 patients posterior spondylodesis was done additionally. The fate of 3 patients is unknown. Three patients died. The results of the treatment of 5 patients were assessed from 3 to 40 months after operation. The authors review in the light of the pertinent literature the modern methods of management which depend mainly on the location of the tumour.