Spontaneous hemorrhage associated with a pilomyxoid astrocytoma. Case report

J Neurosurg. 2003 Aug;99(2):416-20. doi: 10.3171/jns.2003.99.2.0416.

Abstract

Pilomyxoid astrocytomas have been identified as a more aggressive variant of pilocytic astrocytomas that occur in infants and in young children. These tumors are characterized by a perivascular arrangement of pilocytic cells that has a monomorphous architecture with uniform, elongated bipolar cells loosely ranged within a prominent myxoid background. The authors present the case of a 24-year-old man with a pilomyxoid astrocytoma of the temporal lobe, who presented with a hemorrhage. The patient underwent gross-total tumor resection, and no evidence of residual or recurrent tumor was found on magnetic resonance images at the 6-month follow-up examination. The occurrence of a pilomyxoid astrocytoma in an adult suggests that this tumor is not limited to children. The tumor described in this report is unique because of its presentation with a hemorrhage, which has not been previously described in cases of pilomyxoid astrocytomas and is rarely found in those of pilocytic astrocytomas. Although this tumor predominantly exhibited the pattern of a pilomyxoid astrocytoma, there was a small focus of pilocytic astrocytoma, indicating that there is a spectrum of histological components found in these tumors and that certain elements may be associated with a more aggressive phenotype. In this paper the authors review the literature on pilomyxoid astrocytomas and discuss the unique aspects of this particular tumor presentation.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Astrocytoma / complications*
  • Astrocytoma / pathology
  • Astrocytoma / surgery
  • Brain Neoplasms / complications*
  • Brain Neoplasms / pathology
  • Brain Neoplasms / surgery
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage / diagnostic imaging
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage / etiology*
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage / pathology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Neurosurgical Procedures / methods
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed