Neuromyelitis optica with brainstem lesion mistaken for brainstem glioma. Case report.
Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a severe demyelinating syndrome defined principally by its tendency to affect optic nerves and the spinal cord selectively. Asymptomatic brain lesions have recently become a common finding in NMO, and symptomatic brain lesions do not exclude the diagnosis of this entity. The authors describe the case of a 12-year-old girl suffering from an unusually atypical form of NMO in which a brainstem lesion was mistaken for a brainstem glioma. Brainstem involvement in NMO exhibits variable features on neuroimaging and is confused with brainstem glioma in cases of extensive brainstem involvement in childhood. Careful differential diagnosis and proper treatment are vital for a favorable prognosis.
Park
Keun Young
KY
Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Ahn
Jung Yong
JY
Cho
Jun Hyung
JH
Choi
Young Chul
YC
Lee
Kyu Sung
KS
D001933:Brain Stem / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D020295:Brain Stem Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D009187:Myelitis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009471:Neuromyelitis Optica / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis