title: Congenital neurocristic tumor presenting as an isolated calvarial defect in an infant: case report.
abstract: In infants, the presence of a cranial defect may be due to a variety of traumatic, inflammatory, neoplastic, and congenital abnormalities. Differentiation between these possible etiologies is facilitated by clinical presentation, patient history, and physical examination. Congenital cutaneous neural crest-derived lesions are unlikely to be considered in a patient presenting with an asymptomatic cranial defect without overlying mass or skin pigmentation. The authors present an unusual case of a 2-month-old infant with an asymptomatic calvarial defect with normal overlying skin. Pathology of the excised tissue showed features consistent with a congenital neurocristic tumor: a pigmented, neural crest-derived hamartomatous tumor that typically presents as a melanotic skin lesion.
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Neurosurgery and.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hadley
authors.affiliation: Pathology, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Carrie A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mohila
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Neurosurgery and.
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Luerssen
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Neurosurgery and.
authors.forename: Sandi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lam
mesh_terms: D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006222:Hamartoma / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000002:abnormalities*; D009777:Occipital Bone / Q000473:pathology; D010294:Parietal Bone / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis; D012886:Skull / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: CBN = cellular blue nevus; MNTI = melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy; NCH = neurocristic cutaneous hamartoma; calvarial lesion; infant; lytic bone lesion; neurocristic; oncology; pediatric; skull defect