The Thalamic and Parkinsonian Types of Infundibular Tumors

The fundamental work on infundibular tumors was that of Weisenburg,1in 1910, which detailed thirty cases that had been completely studied. In his second case was the first description of a thalamic type of infundibular tumor; the author noted pain of the central type and vasomotor or trophic disturbances on the opposite side, these symptoms being due to direct destruction of the thalamus by the neoplasm. This is an exceptional case, as evidenced by the fact that in three of the thirty cases reported the thalamus was compressed without giving rise to specific clinical symptoms. Weisenburg also cited a case of Barié in which anesthesia of both extremities was present. Other extrapyramidal symptoms—tremor, involuntary rhythmic movements, states of rigidity, fits, bradylalia, facial rigidity and slowness of gait—have been reported by Berger-Erdheim,2Bregmann-Steinhaus,3Russell,4Claude and Schaeffer,5Thomas, Jumentié and Chausseblanche,6Sainton and Peron7