[Spinal epidural lipoma as a cause of paraplegia].

Two cases (a 56-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man) with spinal epidural lipomas are described. In the discussion, the origin, the development and the biological valence of this spinal growth are dealt with. Besides, the age of the manifestation of the neurological symptoms, the localization, the clinical symptoms, diagnosis and differential diagnosis as well as therapy and prognosis of these tumours, which are rarely found in the spinal canal, are discussed. With the exclusion of the lipomatosis combined with lumbosacral malformations of the spinal column, the literature contains reports on about 66 cases of epidural and intradural spinal lipomas described until now.