USE OF IODIZED POPPY SEED OIL IN DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS BETWEEN TUMORS OF CONUS MEDULLARIS AND OF CAUDA EQUINA

It has been the experience of many observers that in cases of intra-spinal tumor the information given by injection of iodized poppy seed oil 40 per cent may be misleading and deceptive. This observation, coupled with recent reports of toxic effects following iodolography, has led to a wave of condemnation of the use of iodized oils in the subarachnoid space. In this paper I present 4 cases of tumor of the conus medullaris or cauda equina as illustrations of the belief that in the diagnosis of tumors of this region the advantages of the use of iodized poppy seed oil outweigh objections to it.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS BETWEEN TUMORS OF THE CONUS MEDULLARIS AND CAUDA EQUINA  While clinical methods for the differentiation of lesions of the conus from those of the cauda are frequently given, actual experience will soon demonstrate their uncertainty. Cushing and Ayer¹ pointed out that the diagnosis