[Tumors of the central nervous system in biopsy and autopsy material. 7th communication: neurinomas and neurofibromatoses with CNS involvement].

In 1,491 autopsy cases with CNS tumors observed at the Pathological Institute of the Medical Academy of Erfurt in the period from 1953 to 1976 (54,946 autopsies) 72 cases (4.8%) with neurinomas were found. They comprise 67 solitary neurinomas, 1 bilateral acoustic neurinoma without other signs of neurofibromatosis, and 4 cases of neurofibromatosis with neurinomas of the CNS. Among the 68 cases with CNS neurinomas (neurofibromatoses excluded) 87% were acoustic neurinomas, 12% spinal tumors, and 1 case was located in the trigeminal nerve. In 60 (88%) of these 68 cases, the neurinoma was operated upon or clinically diagnosed, resp. The diameter of 18 (26%) neurinomas of the autopsy material was larger than 5 cm. Patients in the 6th decennium predominated in this series. The sex distribution revealed a preponderance of females over males (3:1). In 3 cases further CNS tumors (ependymoma, glioblastoma, meningioma) were found. Additionally, 3 cases had carcinomas of different localization (Table 5). Following tumors were seen in 9 cases of Morbus Recklinghausen with CNS involvement: 4 cases with multiple neurinomas, 3 meningiomas, 1 astrocytoma, 2 glioses and 1 angiomatous malformation (Table 6). Among 1,670 CNS tumors in biopsy material, 144 (8.6%) were neurinomas. 60% of them were located in the nervus acusticus, 40% spinally, mainly in the thoracic region. The 6th decennium was most affected, and females were more frequent than males (2:1) in our material. Nearly all CNS neurinomas were benign. Only 1 spinal tumors was classified as a malignant neurinoma. 2 of the 9 cases with Morbus Recklinghausen had malignant neurogenic tumors (neurofibrosarcomas).