[Clinical and pathologic features of melanocytic lesion of the central nervous system].

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical and pathologic features of melanocytic lesion of the central nervous system. METHODS: We analyzed the clinical features, neuroimages, and operational and neuropathological findings of 2 patients of neurocutaneous melanosis and 4 patients of primary leptomeningeal melanoma. RESULTS: All the 6 patients had the common clinical features of intracranial hypertension and epilepsy. Brain CT and MRI showed abnormal signals. More melanin pigment nevi were found on the skin of the 2 patients subjected to neurocutaneous melanosis. The other 4 patients subjected to primary leptomeningeal melanoma had no melanin pigment nevus on the skin, but the brain section displayed positive meningeal melanoma. CONCLUSION: Intracranial hypertension and epilepsy are the main clinical manifestations of melanocytic lesion of the central nervous system, and cutaneous lesion and radiological findings are very important for the diagnosis.