The clinical and pathological details are described of three patients with demyelinating diseases associated with a glioma, the effects of which proved fatal. The findings suggest that the tumours developed from neoplastic transformation of glia in areas of established demyelination.
PLATES XXIV-XXVII AT the Second International Congress of Neuropathology in 1955 two of us described a chemodectoma that had been successfully removed during life from the pineal region: a summary without illustrations was published in the abstracts of the congress proceedings (Hughes and Smith, 1955). From the nature of the tumour it was apparent that chemoreceptor tissue might be present either in or near to the pineal body and the implications of this possibility were considered. During the period of more than ten years following the operation, the condition of the patient has remained unaltered, so confirming the non-metastatic origin of the tumour. Comments on the case have been made from time to time (Russell and Rubinstein, 1963; Lancet, 1963) and recent work by others has supported our original considerations (Costero, 1963; Costero, Barroso-Moguel and Earle, 1963). A full illustrated account of the tumour together with our extended observations is therefore timely.
CASE HISTORYA 17-yr-old woman was first admitted to hospital on 13 Sept. 1953, with a 4-mth history of severe suboccipital headaches. These occurred in the morning, often waking her in the early hours, and were associated with nuchal tenderness. They had become increasingly severe and frequent and in recent weeks had been associated with effortless projectile vomiting. For one month she had noticed Present address:
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