[Intracranial spread of a melanoma of the face: the trigeminal pathway].
BACKGROUND
The intracranial evolution of cutaneous melanoma is usually due to metastases. Neurotropic invasion mainly concerns the trigeminal and the facial nerves. The melanoma is a rare entity among neurotropic tumors.


METHODS
A patient presented with a desmoplastic melanoma of the lower lid, complicated by a perineural extension to the cavernous sinus and the mandibular nerve via the maxillary nerve.


CONCLUSIONS
This neurotropic evolution should be carefully monitored when close to a nerve. Extensive surgical excision including peripheral nerves in the vicinity of such tumors is recommended. MRI should be performed when a motor or sensitive disorder appears in the course of a desmoplastic melanoma.
Alix
T
T
Service de chirurgie maxillofaciale, plastique et esthétique et de stomatologie, hôpital Nord, 42055 Saint-Etienne cedex 02, France. alix.thomas.cmf@gmail.com
Boutet
C
C
Caquant
L
L
Mohammedi
R
R
Barral
F-G
FG
Seguin
P
P
D002426:Cavernous Sinus / Q000473:pathology*; D003390:Cranial Nerve Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D005142:Eyelid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008340:Mandibular Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D008442:Maxillary Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D016634:Radiosurgery; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D019043:Vascular Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*