[Filum terminale ependymomas. Analysis of a serie of 20 consecutive cases].
OBJECTIVE
to analyze the clinical, radiological and surgical outcome of a series of filum terminale ependymomas. Patients and methods. This retrospective study involved 20 patients with 21 ependymomas of the filum terminale encountered during a 21 year period (1988- 2008). All patients were diagnosed using MRI and surgically treated.


RESULTS
the male: female ratio was 1:1.5, and the mean age at diagnosis was 44.8 years (range 15-64). First symptom included radicular pain (12 cases) and lumbar pain in the other 8 cases, with average symptom duration of 8.7 years (range 0-6-32). All patients underwent open biopsy, seventeen tumours received gross-total resection and 4 received subtotal resection. Histologically, 20 tumours were myxopapillary ependymomas (grade I) and 1 case a grade II ependymoma. The mean follow-up period was 8 years (range 1-18 years).


CONCLUSIONS
filum terminale ependimomas are slow growing tumours of the cauda equina with a high incidence in young adults. The most common presentation is with low back pain long time evolution. Although ependymomas of the filum terminale are thought to be benign, local recurrence is not uncommon.
Servicio de Neurocirugía, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Departamento de Cirugía, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela. miguel.gelabert@usc.es
M
M
Gelabert-González
A
A
Arcos-Algaba
R
R
Serramito-García
D
D
Castro-Bouzas
J M
JM
Santín-Amo
E
E
Aran-Echabe
A
A
Prieto-González
F J
FJ
Bandin-Diéguez
A
A
García-Allut
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002420:Cauda Equina / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D004806:Ependymoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010524:Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult