Sensation and spinal tumors.

Sensory disorders were investigated in a retrospective study of 131 patients operated on for tumors of the spine. The most common sign of sensory disorder was pain, followed by hypoesthesia and anesthesia. In case of intramedullary tumors, the most frequent signs were anesthesia and pain. There were no significant sex differences in the incidence of spinal tumors or sensory disorders. Moreover, sensory disorders did not significantly differentiate benign from malignant tumors. The study suggested the importance of sensory disorders in the possible development of spinal tumors, particularly if sensory disorders are frequent, long-term, and react poorly to therapy. Scanning of the axial skeleton and spinal cord is the technique of choice in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of spinal cord tumors.