Astrocytic Tumors
Astrocytic Tumors Many primary tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) arise from glial cells. The glial cells, in turn, are comprised of astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and ependymal cells. Astrocytes give…
Malformations and Developmental Abnormalities
To understand malformations of the brain, the reader should be familiar with the critical processes that occur during embryonic development. This chapter focuses on the developmental processes that are essential…
Tumors and Tumorlike Masses
Masses of the spinal canal are classified by their anatomic location. They may involve the extradural, intradural–extramedullary, or intramedullary space. Localizing a mass to a specific compartment is often helpful…
Vascular Diseases
Vascular Diseases M. Forsting 2.1 Cerebral Ischemia Stroke is caused either by cerebral ischemia (70–80% of all cases) or by an intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage (20–30%). It has an acute to…
Malformations and Developmental Abnormalities
Congenital malformations of the spinal column are generally diagnosed immediately after birth or during the first years of life; rarely, they are discovered in older children or adults. The timing…
Hydrocephalus and Intracranial Hypotension
Fig. 10.1 First drawing of a human ventricular system. Drawing by Leonardo da Vinci from the Schlossmuseum in Weimar, shown here in modified form. This is the first drawing of a…
Vascular Diseases
y The relatively low incidence of spinal infarctions must certainly relate to the anatomy of ▶ the blood supply to the spinal cord. Briefly, the spinal cord is supplied by…
Infections
Bacteria Fungi Parasites Mycobacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. avium) Spirochetes (Borrelia burgdorferi, Leptospira interrogans, Treponema pallidum) Brucella Tropheryma whippelii Listeria monocytogenes Neisseria meningitidis Francisella tularensis Actinomycetes Nocardia Cryptococcus neoformans Coccidoides immitis…
Degenerative Diseases
Neurodegenerative disease processes lead to the destruction of normally functioning neurons and their replacement by functionally deficient tissue such as glial scar tissue. In many cases the actual causes of…
