Tumeurs du cône médullaire et de la queue de cheval associées à l’hydrocéphalie chronique: à propos de 2 cas: Tumors of the conus medullaris and of the cauda equina associated with chronic hydrocephalus: about 2 cases

Chronic hydrocephalus associated with a tumor of the conus medullaris and/or of the cauda equina is extremely rare. We here report two cases of medullary tumor revealed by the triad: dementia, difficulty walking and urinary incontinence. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the cerebrospinal fluid showed communicating hydrocephalus and intradural spinal tumors at the level of the conus medullaris and of the cauda equina. Surgical resection of a benign schwannoma and of an ependymoma allowed the resolution of the clinical symptomatology due to hydrocephalus without implantation of ventricular shunt. A dozen cases of dementia and hydrocephalus associated to spinal tumor have been reported. A variety of approaches have been proposed to explain this association but the exact pathophysiology is not accurately known.