title: Computed tomography in leptomeningeal spread of tumor.
abstract: Computed tomography proved insensitive to leptomeningeal spread of hematologic malignancies including leukemia, lymphoma, and malignant histiocytosis. In only 3% of patients did it directly demonstrate leptomeningeal tumor. In comparison, the detection rate of leptomeningeal tumor secondary to carcinoma was 44% and for melanoma, 100%. Intracranial subarachnoid seeding from primary brain gliomas was detected in each instance. The simultaneous presence of parenchymal metastases with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis occurred in 18% of patients with nonhematologic malignancies. Computed tomography evidence of communicating hydrocephalus, previously thought to be a major factor in clinical symptomatology, occurred in only 11% of patients.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001099:Arachnoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007938:Leukemia / Q000473:pathology; D008206:Lymphatic Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009366:Neoplasm Seeding; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010841:Pia Mater / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed