Intramedullary astrocytoma with cartilage formation. Case report.

A case of intramedullary astrocytoma with cartilage formation is reported. The presence of bone or cartilage in a glioma is most unusual and has been described only in the brain, characteristically in ependymomas and astrocytomas of the midline. As far as we know, the present is the first intramedullary case. The histological and immunohistochemical findings are discussed in the light of the various hypotheses that attempt to explain the presence of cartilage within a glioma.