title: Sudden unexpected death from oligodendroglioma: a case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Sudden and unexpected deaths due to asymptomatic 5 primary brain tumors are extremely rare, with an incidence that ranges from 0.16 to 3.2%. Usually, such tumors are glioblastomas or, less commonly, astrocytomas. Asymptomatic oligodendrogliomas causing sudden death are hardly ever reported among medico-legal investigated cases.We report a rare case of sudden and unexpected death from a previously asymptomatic and undiagnosed, well-differentiated, grade II oligodendrogloioma (WHO classification). According to the autopsy and the microscopic findings brain edema as a result of obstruction of the cerebrospinal fluid flow due to hemorrhagic leakage of the oligodendroglioma is incriminated as the most probable physiopathological mechanism for the sudden death. Diagnosis is mainly based on the special microscopic features of the tumor cells (typical "fried-egg" appearance), interrupted by a dense network of branching capillaries. We discuss further the pathophysiological mechanisms of death and present a short review of literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Sciences, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece. m1manousaki@yahoo.gr
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manousaki
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Papadaki
authors.forename: Asteria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papavdi
authors.forename: Elena F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Kranioti
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mylonakis
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Varakis
authors.forename: Manolis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Michalodimitrakis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D009837:Oligodendroglioma / Q000473:pathology*; D009929:Organ Size; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000473:pathology