title: Primary intracranial choriocarcinoma: MR imaging findings.
abstract: PICCC is the rarest, most malignant primary intracranial GCT. The purpose of this study was to describe and characterize the MR imaging findings in a series of 7 patients (6 males and 1 female; mean age, 11.9 years) with pathologically proved PICCC in our institution from 2004 to 2009. All tumors were located within the pineal (n = 6) or suprasellar (n = 1) regions. On T2-weighted MR imaging, the lesions appeared markedly heterogeneous with areas of both hypointensity and hyperintensity reflecting the histologic heterogeneity, including hemorrhage, fibrosis, cysts, or necrosis. Heterogeneous (n = 7), ringlike (n = 4), and/or intratumoral nodular (n = 3) enhancement was noted on T1-weighted images with gadolinium. These MR imaging findings, combined with patient age and serum β-HCG levels, may prove helpful in distinguishing PICCC from the more common primary brain tumors, thereby avoiding biopsy of this highly vascular tumor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging Center, Nan Fang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: X-F
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Y-W
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: X-L
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: L-J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: S-J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Y-Z
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D031954:Choriocarcinoma, Non-gestational / Q000473:pathology*; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human / Q000097:blood; D003560:Cysts / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000473:pathology; D010871:Pinealoma / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human