title: Acute tetraplegia and cardiac arrest following high cervical leptomeningeal metastasis of giant cell glioblastoma.
abstract: Giant cell glioblastoma multiforme (gcGBM) is an unusual subtype of high-grade glioma (grade IV, World Health Organization classification). We report a patient with a rare acute tetraplegia, followed by lethal cardiac arrest, who had undergone a prior resection of a supratentorial gcGBM. Neuroradiological workup revealed a large, high cervical compressive leptomeningeal mass consistent with a drop metastasis. Due to the possibility of a rapid clinical deterioration in patients with high cervical cord compression, the diagnosis of drop metastasis to the spine should be considered in patients with a previous history of supratentorial GBM who present with acute diffuse motor weakness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, The George Washington University, Washington, 2150 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 7-420, District of Columbia 20037, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ammerman
authors.forename: P Benjamin
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Roberti
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000473:pathology*; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D055756:Meningeal Carcinomatosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000556:secondary*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000209:etiology*; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology