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Report of a Case and Review of the Literature

Edward Feldmann, MD; Edward Bromfield, MD; Bradford Navia, MD; Gavril W. Pasternak, MD; Jerome B. Posner, MD

Arch Neurol. 1986;43(7):714-718.

Abstract
• A 68-year-old woman presented with an 18-month history of low back pain followed by leg weakness, dementia, and incontinence. Myelography revealed an intradural, extramedullary block from L-2 to L-4, and cranial computed tomography demonstrated ventriculomegaly. Excision of a benign schwannoma resulted in rapid relief of back pain and more gradual normalization of mental function and hydrocephalus. Five similar cases of dementia and hydrocephalus complicating spinal cord tumor have been reported. A variety of mechanisms have been proposed to explain the association but the pathophysiology is still unclear. Spinal tumor should be considered in the differential diagnosis of dementia and of communicating hydrocephalus.

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Cornell University Medical Center, New York.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication March 10, 1986.

Reprint requests to Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave, New York, NY 10021 (Dr Posner).

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