Prenatal intramedullary gliofibroma. A light and electron microscope study.

A case of an unusual congenital intramedullary tumor of the spinal cord is reported. A paraplegic 11-day-old boy with hypotonia and atrophy of the abdominal and lower-extremity muscles showed a complete myelographic block between T-5 and T-8. Surgical exploration disclosed an elongated tumor mass within the spinal cord, that blended with the surrounding nervous-system tissue. Light and electron microscopy showed that the tumor was composed of intermingled well differentiated astrocytes and fibroblasts. These two cell types often were surrounded by the same basal lamina. There were no intercellular junctions. Gliofibrils were abundant, and the interstitial spaces contained abundant collagen and reticulin fibers. There were no histological signs of malignancy. We conclude that this is a case of prenatally arising gliofibroma.