Selective hypertrophy of the cauda equina nerve roots.

Two patients are described with a previously unreported hypertrophic radiculopathy of the cauda equina with preservation of peripheral nerve function. In one removal of an associated bronchial carcinoid tumour led to marked improvement in the neurological condition suggesting a paraneoplastic cause. The second patient later developed an external ophthalmoplegia but the underlying aetiology remains obscure.