Congenital gemistocytic astrocytoma in a fetus.
BACKGROUND
Congenital brain tumors, especially tumors diagnosed before birth, are very rare. This report presents a case of a congenital gemistocytic astrocytoma diagnosed by antenatal intrauterine ultrasound.


METHODS
An intrauterine MRI revealed hydrocephalus and a mass lesion including massive hemorrhage in the right occipital lobe of a fetus. The patient was delivered by cesarean section and a total excision of the hemorrhagic tumor was carried out on the third day of his life. The histological study revealed gemistocytic astrocytoma (WHO grade II). Neither adjuvant chemotherapy nor radiation was given after the first surgery. Ten months after his birth, a recurrent tumor was depicted on follow-up MRI. The second total excision of the recurrent tumor and chemotherapy using cisplatin and vincristine were performed.


RESULTS
The patient is free of disease at the age of 2 years and 6 months.
Nozaki
Michimasa
M
Department of Neurosurgery, Kin-ikyo Chuo Hospital, Sapporo, Japan. maggie@sb3.so-net.ne.jp
Ohnishi
Akiko
A
Fujimaki
Takamitsu
T
Nagashima
Kazuo
K
Cho
Kazutoshi
K
Sawamura
Yutaka
Y
D000328:Adult; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000378:metabolism; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods
D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D016708:Synaptophysin