Congenital intraspinal lipomas: histological analysis of 234 cases and review of the literature.

The clinical, radiologic, and pathologic data from a series of 234 patients hospitalized in the Pediatric Neurosurgical Department of the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, Paris, for congenital intraspinal lipomas and operated on from 1976 to 1995 were examined. Histological studies showed that these lesions may be simple lipomas, similar to those developing elsewhere in the body, or they may be more complex forms including in addition to the lipomatous component a variety of unusual ectopic tissues of ectodermal, mesodermal, and/or endodermal origin. These complex forms indica te the malformative nature of these tumors. When they contain elements that are truly foreign to the region, the possibility of teratoma with a tumoral potential should be considered. Data found in the literature and from Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital are discussed.