title: [Gliomatosis cerebri. Ante-mortem diagnosis].
abstract: Gliomatosis Cerebri is an unusual neoplastic entity that affects the central nervous system (C.N.S.); it consists of a marked proliferation of glial cells with variable degrees of differentiation in extensive areas of the brain and/or spinal cord. The process is primarily an infiltrative one rather than destructive. Most of the cases are diagnosed at autopsy. The authors report a new case of Gliomatosis Cerebri in a 46 year old woman, with a long clinical history--15 years--of focal seizures; and during the year prior to her admission: behavioral changes, vertigo, urinary incontinence and frequent falls. C.N.S. imaging revealed extensive involvement of the white matter of both cerebral hemispheres. Stereotactic guided biopsy showed a moderately cellular astrocytic neoplasm. A review of the medical literature led to the conclusion that the present case constitutes one of the very few examples in which the diagnosis of Gliomatosis Cerebri was achieved ante-mortem.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patología, Hospital General del Sur, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guzmán
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mora-La Cruz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cardozo-Durán
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques