Abstract
Forty-five patients with spinal neurinomas, including 7 cases of neurofibroma, were operated on in our clinics between 1962 and 1982. In that period, 104 spinal tumors were seen at the University of Tokyo, and the ratio of neurinomas to meningiomas was 3.4 to 1. In Japan and the Republic of China, spinal neurinomas are clearly more frequent than spinal meningiomas.
Frequent initial symptoms were neuralgic pain in 22 cases, weakness of the region of the involved nerve(s) in 11, and dysesthesia or numbness in 5. The side of the initial symptom corresponded with that of the lesion in 35 cases (77.8%), was contralateral in 3 cases, indefinite in 3, and bilateral in 4. Patients showing only neuralgic pain or weakness of the involved nerve(s) were classified as Stage I (3 patients); those presenting neurological dysfunction but able to walk by themselves were classified as Stage II (16 patients); those presenting paraplegia and consequently unable to walk were classified as Stage III (23 patients); and those presenting tetraplegia and unable to sit were classified as Stage IV (3 cases). All patients in Stage IV had cervical neurinomas and 2 of them were neurofibromas. Bladder disturbance was closely correlated with the exacerbation of neurological dysfunction: In Stage I, there was no bladder disturbance, in Stage 11 12.5%, in Stage 111 78.3%, and in Stage IV 100%.
The follow-up review of these 45 cases showed good functional recovery except for 1 case of neurofibroma in Stage IV who is now bedridden.
