Pontine metastases as a cause of dysphagia in lung carcinoma.
Dysphagia is an unusual symptom in the clinical course of lung carcinoma. When it appears, it is necessary to differentiate between regional dissemination, drug toxicity, opportunistic infection and, most rarely, metastatic dissemination to the brain stem. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the best diagnostic option to exclude this last possibility. We present a male patient with progressive dysphagia 15 months after the diagnosis of an oat-cell lung carcinoma. Cerebral MRI revealed a pontine lesion, probably of metastatic origin.
Vara-Castrodeza
Alejandro
A
Servicio de Radiología, Hospital Universitario Río Hortega, Valladolid, Spain. alejovara@arrakis.es
Torrego-García
Juan Carlos
JC
Puertas-Alvarez
Javier Luis
JL
Mendo-González
Marcelino
M
D020295:Brain Stem Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary*; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary*; D016371:Cranial Irradiation; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010291:Paresis / Q000209:etiology