Neurosarcoidosis presenting as an isolated intrasellar mass: case report and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: Isolated neurosarcoidosis without evidence of extracranial manifestation continues to be a rare phenomenon. This case report and others in the literature demonstrate the difficulty in making the diagnosis of isolated neurosarcoidosis, as it may be indistinguishable from other pathologies on radiographic and laboratory studies. This case report and review of the literature will emphasize the need for clinical suspicion for neurosarcoidosis in patients with intrasellar lesions and the appropriate clinical history. CASE HISTORY: A 37-year-old female presented with visual field changes and a headache unresponsive to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications. A history of Bell's palsy, hypothyroidism, and a history of sarcoidosis in the patient's father were noted. Imaging revealed an intrasellar mass resembling a pituitary macroadenoma. Routine neuroendocrine laboratory studies were consistent with hypopituitarism, and all other standard laboratory tests were normal. An endonasal transsphenoidal resection of the intrasellar lesion was done. The tissue was inconsistent with a typical adenoma. Intraoperative pathology reported non-caseating granulomatous disease. Based on the patient's history and intraoperative pathology she was diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis, which was confirmed by final pathologic analysis. Minimal debulking was performed to decompress the optic chiasm. The patient was then placed on corticosteroids and methotrexate and responded well to medical therapy. CONCLUSION: If isolated neurosarcoidosis is diagnosed early it will save a costly and invasive work-up. Radiographic and laboratory studies may aid in diagnosis but no studies are pathognomonic. Neurosarcoidosis is diagnosed by a combination of imaging, diagnostic tests, and good clinical suspicion.

Myelodysplastic syndrome in elderly patients: correlation of CBC with cytogenetic and FISH analysis.

Unexplained anemia in the elderly could represent myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). We assessed the utility of using a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) panel for common chromosomal abnormalities seen in MDS. A total of 101 elderly outpatients with anemia of unknown etiology were evaluated. Complete blood count, bone marrow biopsy, conventional cytogenetic analysis (CC), and FISH panel were reviewed. A total of 21 (21%) of the 101 patients had MDS. A combination of CC and FISH identified chromosomal abnormalities in 17 (81%) of the patients with MDS. The remaining 4 (19%) were diagnosed with MDS based solely on morphologic criteria. Except in two cases, FISH did not reveal abnormalities not already detected by CC. Furthermore, MDS patients infrequently had isolated anemia (14%) as opposed to those without MDS (75%). A MDS FISH panel is not more sensitive than CC in elderly outpatients with unexplained anemia. MDS is more likely if in addition to anemia, leukopenia and/or thrombocytopenia are also present.