Intraventricular bleeding and transient hydrocephalus in a patient with hemorrhagic filum terminale ependymoma undergoing anticoagulation therapy with phenprocoumon.

The authors discuss a rare case of hemorrhage in a filum terminale ependymoma presenting with acute paraparesis and transient hydrocephalic dementia in association with long-term phenprocoumon anticoagulation. The CT scan of the brain revealed the presence of blood in both occipital horns and communicating hydrocephalus. The symptoms gradually resolved after tumor removal and there was no need for shunting. This is a complex clinical presentation of a spinal cord tumor associated hemorrhage, which further illustrates the possibility of retrograde passage of blood from the lumbosacral region to the ventricles.