title: Neuromyelitis optica with brainstem lesion mistaken for brainstem glioma. Case report.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Keun Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jung Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Jun Hyung
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Young Chul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Kyu Sung
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: 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