الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
A prospective study was performed on 20 patients with IMSCTs, who underwent surgery in Alexandria Main University Hospitals. There were no restrictions concerning patients’ age, gender, or tumor characteristics. We excluded patients with no reliable data for the calculation of postoperative functional outcomes, filum terminale ependymoma, and/or recurrent intramedullary tumors. For each patient, a full history, general examination, neurological examination, and routine laboratory investigations were done.
The median age of the patients was 36.5 and equal number of males and females (10) patients. The mean disease duration was 4 months. The majority of the patients had pain, motor, and sensory involvements (30%), or motor and sensory involvements only (30%). The most common tumor location was cervical tumors (50%), followed by dorsal tumors (20%). Overall, 40% of the patients had segmental involvement of > four segments. The median preoperative MMS was 3 (1- 5). Intraoperatively, 55% received total resection. Besides, 55% of the patients had intraoperative monitoring, 75% underwent ultrasound aspiration.
The commonest type was ependymoma (60%) then astrocytoma (30%) then cavernoma (10%). Seven patients developed postoperative complications, most commonly weakness (20%). Besides, 75% and 35% of the patients underwent postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Patients with preoperative MMS <3 were more likely to have total resection with better postoperative MMS at six months and one year follow up than patients with preoperative MMS >3(p= 0.035.
The use of IOM and ultrasonic aspiration was associated with better postoperative MMS as well. There is statistically significant outcome with post-operative radiotherapy and chemotherapy one year follow up.