title: Cerebral pilocytic astrocytoma with spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage in adults.
abstract: Pilocytic astrocytomas are found predominantly in the pediatric population; reports of these tumors are extremely rare in adults. We report 2 cases of adult pilocytic astrocytoma with intracranial hemorrhage. A 32-year-old male presented with neck stiffness and severe headache, and a 34-year-old male was referred for headache and double vision. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a well-enhanced and circumscribed cystic hemorrhagic tumor with mural nodule over the cerebral hemisphere region. Perfusion-weighted MRI (PWI) was also performed in both patients. The measured relative cerebral blood volume ratios of the mural nodules in these 2 cases were, respectively, 1.34 and 2.81 when compared with normal white matter. After surgical resection, microscopic examination of the lesions showed pilocytic astrocytomas. Since pilocytic astrocytoma and other cystic tumors with mural nodule (such as hemangioblastoma) have similar findings on conventional CT and MRI, PWI is helpful in the differential diagnosis. The literature on hemorrhagic pilocytic astrocytoma is also reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hao-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shu-Shong
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Jyh-Seng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Mei-Jui
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Jui-Hsun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Clement Kuen-Huang
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ping-Hong
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Lai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male