Astrocytic tumorette: microscopic to minute foci of glioma unexpectedly found in autopsy or surgical specimens.
Four examples of astrocytic tumorettes (microscopic to minute foci of glioma) are described herein. They include one malignant astrocytoma and three low grade astrocytomas. The first patient, who died of heart failure, was found incidentally to havour a small malignant astrocytoma at the time of autopsy. The other three patients with astrocytomas of low grade in malignancy, ranged from 18 to 25 years in age, and presented with intractable seizures. Electroencephalography defined a temporal lobe focus in all three patients. Subsequently, all three underwent a unilateral temporal lobectomy with resection of the epileptic focus. Careful histological examinations on the removed tissues from each patient revealed that each of them had a minute astrocytoma. The histogenesis of benign and malignant astrocytomas and the importance of surgical exploration in the management of the patients with intractable seizure disorders are discussed.
Nishio
S
S
Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Takei
Y
Y
Baaky
R A
RA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000473:pathology*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology