Cerebellar liponeurocytoma with an unusually aggressive clinical course: case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Liponeurocytomas are rare cerebellar neoplasms in adults, with benign histological features and a favorable clinical prognosis. Current clinical opinion is based on a total of less than 20 published cases and suggests that gross total resection and long-term follow-up monitoring, with possible additional surgery and radiotherapy for treatment of recurrent tumors, represent the best treatment approach for this relatively benign tumor type. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 51-year-old Caucasian woman presented with worsening unsteady gait and headaches, suggesting increased intracranial pressure. INTERVENTION: The patient underwent subtotal resection of a cerebellar liponeurocytoma, followed by fractionated radiotherapy (total dose of 54 Gy). She experienced a local recurrence of the tumor 12 months later and underwent additional surgery for removal of the cerebellar mass. A second recurrent tumor was diagnosed on magnetic resonance imaging scans 3 months later and was surgically resected. The tumor histological findings were consistently devoid of atypical features, apart from leptomeningeal invasion noted in the first surgical specimen. CONCLUSION: This unusual case demonstrated an atypical clinical course of a highly aggressive and radiation-resistant tumor, despite the consistent absence of aggressive histological features. Cerebellar liponeurocytomas may not be as benign as the current literature and typical low-grade cytological and histological features suggest.

Traumatic cerebral aneurysm formation following ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion.

INTRODUCTION: Iatrogenic intracranial aneurysms are rare in children. CASE REPORT: A 15-year-old girl presented in coma with a fixed dilated left pupil six weeks following removal of a long-standing left-sided ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Computed tomography (CT) and cerebral angiography revealed a left temporoparietal intracerebral haemorrhage with a fusiform distal middle cerebral artery aneurysm. The patient underwent image-guided localisation of the aneurysm to enable evacuation of the haemorrhage and resection of the fusiform aneurysm. CONCLUSION: A high index of suspicion is required for diagnosis and early treatment to prevent unnecessary morbidity and mortality.