Primary atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor of the optic nerve: a rare entity in an exceptional location.

Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors are rare and highly malignant central nervous system tumors. They have no specific radiological features and often present several histological components that make a problem in differential diagnosis with medulloblastoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumors. We present the case of a newborn girl complained of a gradual proptosis of the left eye secondary to an expansive lesional process of the optic nerve. The location at the optic nerve, reported only twice in the literature, and an exclusive rhabdoid appearance on biopsy added additional differential diagnosis problems. The proptosis worsened and the infant died few days after two cycles of chemotherapy. VIRTUAL SLIDES: The virtual slides for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/2037718783145212 .