Spinal Cord Tumors - Extrinsic-Adult

Tumors that do not arise within the spinal cord, but do arise within the spinal canal and can exert pressure on the spinal cord, include:

• Meningiomas
• Schwannomas
• Neurofibromas

Hopkins Treatment

Treatment of these tumors is directed towards relief of symptoms and cure. The majority of these tumors can be completely removed because they have clearly defined borders and the location is amenable.

Our team believes in increasing the safety of our patients. Therefore, we employ the latest technologies to monitor our patients during surgery. These techniques include EMG, motor evoked potentials and somatosensory evoked potentials. We also use microsurgical techniques for the removal of tumors. In certain instances, bone may need to be removed and can leave the spine unstable. In these cases, we will reconstruct the spine.

As with other spinal cord tumors, a team approach is required to optimize the outcome. This includes the operative team (neurosurgery, anesthesiology, neurophysiology and pathology) and postoperative care. Postoperative care will involve neurointensivists, neurosurgeons, physical therapists, occupational therapists and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Both intraoperatively and postoperatively another important element of our team is our well trained neurosurgical nurses.