Malignant mesothelioma invading the spinal canal.

Case report A man aged 67 years was admitted to hospital in January 1971 giving a history of sudden paralysis, in his right leg, which had occurred 10 days previously; this had been followed by gradual paralysis in his left leg. He had been incontinent of urine for 3 days. Recently he had lost 2 stone in weight, and had developed pains in his right shoulder. He worked in the dockyards of Portsmouth but was not known to have handled asbestos material. He gave no history of previous chest trouble, and was a nonsmoker. He was cachectic, and neurological examination revealed signs of transection of the spinal cord at T8. The chest X-ray revealed marked thickening of the right pleura and coarse mottling of the right lower lobe. The patient's condition gradually deteriorated until his death 24 days after admission.