A number of factors are useful when differentiating between spinal cord ependymoma and spinal cord astrocytoma.
Ependymoma
- child or adult
- more central in location
- well-defined lesion
- bone remodeling is common
- low T1 signal
- well-defined enhancement
- syrinx is more common
- hemorrhage is more common
Astrocytoma
- child
- more eccentric
- ill-defined lesion
- bone remodeling is less common
- low T1 signal
- ill-defined enhancement
- syrinx is less common
- hemorrhage is less common