Neoplasms of the Notochord: Report of a Case of Basilar Chordoma with Nasal and Bilateral Orbital Involvement

The name Chordoma, proposed originally by Ribbert, is given to those neoplasms which develop from vestiges of the fetal notochord. The notochord or chorda dorsalis is a column of cells formed in all chordates in the central axis of the individual, ventrally from the neural tube and of mesodermal origin. The chordal cells contain large vacuoles, filled with mucin. These physalipherous cells provide elastic tension by means of their turgor, and thus enable the chorda to carry out its supporting function (protoplasmatic tension system). In lower animals this supporting function is a permanent one. In the embryologic development of the vertebrates the notochord is found as a transitory organ only. Its supporting function is taken over by the vertebrae, developing around the chorda. In some places usually some vestiges of chordal tissue remain; it is from these vestiges, that chordomas may develop.