A dynamic theory for hydrocephalus revealing benign intraspinal tumours: tumoural obstruction of the spinal subarachnoid space reduces total CSF compartment compliance

Medical Hypotheses
Xavier MorandiLaurent Riffaud

Abstract

Hydrocephalus may rarely be the revealing symptom of intraspinal tumours. This form of presentation is more common in malignant spinal cord tumours due to subarachnoid dissemination and meningeal tumoural infiltration up to the intracranial basal cisterns. In contrast, in benign intraspinal tumours the mechanism of hydrocephalus has been a subject of controversy and various explanations have been proposed. We discuss different pathophysiological hypotheses and propose a mechanical explanation based on current knowledge of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics. We hypothesize that hydrocephalus in benign intraspinal tumours is the result of alteration of craniospinal compliance distribution. Intraspinal tumours may decrease the compliance of the caudal spinal portion, thereby reducing overall CSF space compliance. In this condition, minimal changes to other implicated factors such as CSF protein concentration, intracranial CSF flow resistance due to arachnoiditis or intracranial vascular compliance may have a greater effect on CSF dynamics. After tumour removal, hydrocephalus disappears rapidly due to spinal compliance recovery.

References

Aug 1, 1978·Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry·L Ridsdale, I Moseley
Feb 1, 1975·The British Journal of Surgery·R S Maurice-Williams, J J Lucey
Apr 1, 1988·Neurosurgery·L M ZavalaK R Winston
Aug 1, 1972·Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry·A N MartinsP W Myers
Jan 1, 1965·Acta Neurologica Scandinavica·O Gilland
Jan 1, 1981·Child's Brain·E SchijmanJ A Monges
Oct 1, 1964·Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry·F E GLASAUER

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jul 17, 2010·Child's Nervous System : ChNS : Official Journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery·Hacı Ahmet DemirMünevver Büyükpamukçu
Sep 20, 2011·Child's Nervous System : ChNS : Official Journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery·Giuseppe MironeFerdinando Aliberti
Dec 25, 2009·Journal of Neurology·Nadia Al MaachP H Wessels
May 7, 2010·Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery·Hak Young RheeSung Hun Kim
Oct 24, 2007·Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery·Guus KoertsChristian Raftopoulos
Nov 22, 2013·Neurologia Medico-chirurgica·Daisuke WajimaHiroyuki Nakase
Nov 10, 2015·Brain Pathology·Marijan KlaricaDarko Orešković
Mar 14, 2016·Neurología : publicación oficial de la Sociedad Española de Neurología·Y Miranda BacalladoI Rúa-Figueroa Fernández de Larrinoa
Oct 18, 2014·Journal of Clinical Neurology·Aymeric Amelot, Thierry Faillot
Jul 19, 2019·British Journal of Neurosurgery·Atul Vats, Manjunath Prasad
Nov 7, 2015·European Journal of Ophthalmology·Andre GrixtiKimia Ziahosseini
Aug 23, 2020·Journal of Neuro-ophthalmology : the Official Journal of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society·Yujia ZhouMichael S Lee

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

CSF & Lymphatic System

This feed focuses on Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) and the lymphatic system. Discover the latest papers using imaging techniques to track CSF outflow into the lymphatic system in animal models.