Spinal cord

The spinal cord is the part of the CNS where tumours occasionally grow. It is also a place one can find various cysts.

Spinal cord, cross section

Differential diagnosis

General

Note: always consider reactive (piloid) gliosis

Congenital malformations

• Meningeomyleocele
• Diastematomyelia
• Thethered cord

Inflammatory lesions

• Myelitis
• Encephalomyelitis disseminata
• Abscess
• Histiocytosis

Vascular malformations

• Cavernous hemangioma
• Arteriovenous malformation

Cysts

• Enterogenous cyst
• Arachnoid cyst
• Syringomylia

low-grade neoplasms

• Pilocytic astrocytoma
• Ependymoma
• Hemangioblastoma
• Intramedullary schwannoma
• Diffuse Astrocytoma
• Subependymoma
• Myxopapillary ependymoma
• Paraganglioma

Malignant

• Glioblastoma
• Anaplastic ependymoma
• lymphomatoid granulomatosis
• Teratoma
• Metastasis.

See also:

Neuroanatomy.