title: Persistent gestational trophoblastic disease presenting as left hemiparesis in a Jamaican teenager.
abstract: A 19-year-old woman, who delivered a macerated stillborn at 32 weeks' gestation and had persistent postpartum vaginal bleeding, presented with a left hemiparesis three and a half months after delivery. A clinical diagnosis of persistent gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) was made, based on quantitative serum beta-hCG of more than 200,000 IU/ml, cannon ball metastases on chest X-ray and two ring enhancing lesions, metastases, in the right parietal lobe on Computed Axial Tomography (CAT) scan of the brain. Despite combination chemotherapy, with methotrexate, cyclophosphamide and actinomycin D, her condition worsened and she died.
authors.affiliation: Mandeville Public Hospital, Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica. rgokula@hotmail.com
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gokula
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Falconer
authors.forename: F O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010291:Paresis / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D014328:Trophoblastic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy