title: Fatal cerebellar hemorrhage as an initial presentation of medulloblastoma in a child.
abstract: Children with medulloblastomas most commonly present with signs and symptoms of elevated intracranial pressure due to obstructive hydrocephalus, especially headaches and vomiting. However, some pediatric patients present with sudden neurological deterioration due to intracerebellar hemorrhage associated with medulloblastoma, although very few reports exist that document this phenomenon. An 8-year-old girl was admitted to our emergency department who presented with sudden loss of consciousness, vomiting, and bradycardia. The neuroradiological evaluation revealed a hemorrhagic mass lesion in the posterior fossa. Urgent evacuation of the hematoma was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the postoperative histopathological examination revealed the lesion to be a medulloblastoma. This report presents an unusual case of a medulloblastoma presenting with fatal intracranial hemorrhage in a child. The clinical features and intraoperative and pathologic findings of the case are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Guner
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Menekse
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yurdal
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gezercan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pelin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Demirturk
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Uysal
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali Ihsan
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Okten
keywords: Cerebellar hemorrhage; childhood; medulloblastoma