A rare case of tumor-mimicking primary angiitis of the central nervous system.
Primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) is a rare, but severe vascular disease. The present study reports the case of a 42-year-old male who developed PACNS. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans initially led to a misleading diagnosis of malignant glioma, and surgery was performed. The mass was resected, and a pathological examination confirmed a cerebral vasculitis. Single therapy with high doses of steroid did not improve the patient's condition, while a subsequent lesion appeared on the opposite side one year later. Combined therapy with methylprednisone and cyclophosphamide resulted in a great improvement for the patient. No relapse occurred during one year's follow-up. Although a tumor-mimicking PACNS has no established imaging features, a diagnosis of tumor-mimicking PACNS should be suspected when the MRI reveals inappropriate presentations of a tumor. Greater awareness of this potential manifestation of PACNS may facilitate more prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Department of Neurology, The First Teaching Hospital of The Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China.
L I
LI
Sun
Department of Neurology, The Third Teaching Hospital of The Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130033, P.R. China.
Lijun
L
Zhu
Department of Neurology, The First Teaching Hospital of The Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China.
Teng
T
Zhao
Qian Wei Hospital of Jilin Province, Changchun, Jilin 130031, P.R. China.
Dayan
D
Wang
Department of Neurology, The First Teaching Hospital of The Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China.
Dihui
D
Ma
Department of Neurology, The First Teaching Hospital of The Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China.
Rensheng
R
Zhang
Department of Neurology, The First Teaching Hospital of The Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China.
Shaokuan
S
Fang
cyclophosphamide; malignant glioma; tumor-mimicking primary angiitis of the central nervous system