Intraventricular cryptococcal granuloma

1988 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul L. Penar ◽  
Jung Kim ◽  
Douglas Chyatte ◽  
James K. Sabshin

✓ Infection by Cryptococcus neoformans, a budding nonmycelial yeast, involves the central nervous system in 70% of patients at the time of diagnosis. Meningitis and meningoencephalitis are common manifestations of infection; solid granulomas occur but are unusual, and intraventricular granulomas are distinctly rare. Two cases of intraventricular cryptococcal granuloma are reported. The diagnosis and treatment of mass lesions due to cryptococcal infection are discussed, with special reference to intraventricular granulomas.

1982 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 430-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin G. Fischer ◽  
Ana Sotrel ◽  
Keasley Welch

✓ Two patients are reported who had intracerebral mass lesions composed of hemangioma and glial neoplasm. After excision, one recurred as an oligodendroglioma, and the remnant of the other remained static over a 5-year period. These lesions may represent a subgroup of cerebral hemangiomas that have the biological potential for future glial neoplastic growth. Reference is made to experimental work with polyoma virus which can induce cavernous hemangiomas in the central nervous system in mice, and which is a papovavirus. Other papovaviruses can induce ependymomas in hamsters.


1981 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Perna ◽  
R. Liguori ◽  
G. Petrone ◽  
E. Mannarino

✓ An unusual case of cerebral actinomycosis of the Gasserian ganglion is reported. The location and the pathological diagnosis of granuloma are both extremely rare. The literature is briefly reviewed with special reference to similar reports. The manner of spread and the course of the disease are described. The present case tends to confirm the opinion that primary cerebral actinomycosis is extremely rare and probably does not exist. The case also definitely indicates that the organism reaches the central nervous system by way of nerve or perineural pathways.


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Kronstad ◽  
Sanjay Saikia ◽  
Erik David Nielson ◽  
Matthias Kretschmer ◽  
Wonhee Jung ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe basidiomycete fungusCryptococcus neoformansinfects humans via inhalation of desiccated yeast cells or spores from the environment. In the absence of effective immune containment, the initial pulmonary infection often spreads to the central nervous system to result in meningoencephalitis. The fungus must therefore make the transition from the environment to different mammalian niches that include the intracellular locale of phagocytic cells and extracellular sites in the lung, bloodstream, and central nervous system. Recent studies provide insights into mechanisms of adaptation during this transition that include the expression of antiphagocytic functions, the remodeling of central carbon metabolism, the expression of specific nutrient acquisition systems, and the response to hypoxia. Specific transcription factors regulate these functions as well as the expression of one or more of the major known virulence factors ofC. neoformans. Therefore, virulence factor expression is to a large extent embedded in the regulation of a variety of functions needed for growth in mammalian hosts. In this regard, the complex integration of these processes is reminiscent of the master regulators of virulence in bacterial pathogens.


1990 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Mitchell ◽  
Bernd W. Scheithauer ◽  
Patrick J. Kelly ◽  
Glenn S. Forbes ◽  
Jon E. Rosenblatt

✓ The tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides infects man worldwide, particularly in Asian countries. Rarely, the central nervous system is involved; such a case is presented here. In the total of 12 reported cases, including the case described, the worm presented clinically as a mass suspicious for neoplasm or chronic abscess cavity. Surgical removal was invariably curative in each case. Although infrequent, the possibility of tapeworm infection should be entertained in the evaluation of intracranial masses in patients who have visited exotic locales.


1984 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 375-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Griffith R. Harsh ◽  
Charles B. Wilson

✓ Local recurrence developed 6 years after the initial resection of an intraspinal meningeal tumor that originally was thought to be an angioblastic meningioma. Histological review of the pathology led to a change of that diagnosis to one of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma. The recurrent vascular tumor was embolized, then totally excised. Because this tumor had malignant features, the patient received irradiation and chemotherapy. No evidence of regrowth has been observed during a period of more than 4 years. Mesenchymal chondrosarcomas of the central nervous system and their treatment are reviewed.


1977 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beniamino Guidetti ◽  
Franco M. Gagliardi

✓ The authors report on the clinical data, operating technique, postoperative complications, and late results in a series of 31 epidermoid and 21 dermoid cysts of the central nervous system.


1981 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 615-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil A. Martin ◽  
Martha Hales ◽  
Charles B. Wilson

✓ A 31-year-old woman developed a cerebellar metastasis from an invasive prolactin-secreting pituitary adenoma while undergoing treatment with bromocriptine. The metastatic tumor was totally excised. Metastatic spread of pituitary tumors within the central nervous system is reviewed briefly.


1994 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 931-934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginio Bonito ◽  
Cristina Agostinis ◽  
Stefano Ferraresi ◽  
Carlo Alberto Defanti

✓ Superficial siderosis is a rare condition characterized by deposition of hemosiderin in the leptomeninges and in the subpial layers of the brain and spinal cord. It is associated with cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities consistent with recurrent bleeding into the subarachnoid space. The usual symptoms are hearing loss, ataxia, spastic paraparesis, sensory and sphincter deficits, and mental deterioration. A case is presented of severe superficial siderosis of the central nervous system in a 51-year-old man who had suffered a brachial plexus injury at the age of 20 years. The diagnosis was made by means of magnetic resonance imaging 16 years after the initial symptoms, which comprised bilateral hearing loss and anosmia. Subarachnoid bleeding was due to traumatic pseudomeningocele of the brachial plexus, a very unusual cause of superficial siderosis. This case is interesting insofar as the surgical treatment prevented further bleeding and possibly progression of the disease.


1986 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 600-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Murray ◽  
Larry Kun ◽  
James Cox

✓ Eleven patients with primary malignant lymphoma of the central nervous system (CNS) were treated at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals between 1964 and 1984. Three patients had a prior history of immunosuppressive therapy following renal transplantation. All patients had biopsy-proven disease and 10 of the 11 were treated with external radiation therapy. The doses to the primary tumor ranged from 34 to 59.4 Gray (Gy). Actuarial (life-table) survival rate was 82% at 1 year and 43% at 3 years. No recurrence was seen after 13 months. Eighty-six reports totaling 693 cases of primary malignant lymphoma of the CNS were found in the literature. Of these, 308 cases were treated with a combination of surgery and irradiation. Overall survival at 5 years for those patients who received more than 50 Gy compared with less than 50 Gy to the primary tumor was 42.3% versus 12.8% (p < 0.05). Twenty-one patients survived longer than 5 years. Late relapse was notable, with 10 (47.6%) of 21 tumors recurring between 5 and 12.5 years after diagnosis. Based on this review, a minimum of 50 Gy radiation to the primary tumor is recommended. While no statement regarding the efficacy of craniospinal irradiation or chemotherapy can be made in view of the small numbers, the use of craniospinal irradiation and/or systemic chemotherapy should be considered for future trials.


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