Demyelinating Disease? Central Nervous System Lymphoma?

Ufuk Ergün; Abidin Erdal; Bahar Say; Ruhat Karahan; Levent İnan; Figen Söylemezoğlu; Hakan Oruçkaptan

Ufuk Ergün¹, Abidin Erdal¹, Bahar Say¹, Ruhat Karahan², Levent İnan¹, Figen Söylemezoğlu³, Hakan Oruçkaptan⁴

¹Neurology Clinic, Ministry Of Health Education And Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
²Psychiatry Clinic, Ministry Of Health, Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Oncology Education And Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
³Department Of Pathology, Hacettepe University, Faculty Of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
⁴Neurosurgery Department, Hacettepe University, Faculty Of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

Keywords: lymphoma, central nervous system, demyelinating lesion, differential diagnosis

Abstract

Scientific backgound: Primary lymphomas of the central nervous system (CNS) consist of about 1% of brain tumors. Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PSSSL) is a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma restricted to the nervous system. Many diseases of the CNS like MS, metastatic or primary brain tumors, PSSSL, infections and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis may be indistinguishable clinically and/or radiologically. Detailed functional imaging techniques like MRS, perfusion MR imaging studies and brain biopsy can help in the differential diagnosis of neoplastic compared with demyelinative lesions. Corticosteroids should be avoided before diagnostic biposy, due to their cytolytic effects on malignant cells.

Case and CONCLUSION: We presented a thirty tree years old female presented with right hemiparesis, aphasia and with imaging features resembling demyelinating disease or intracranial mass lesion. Due to some special features of diagnostic process and serial imagings of the case, we presented her with review of the related literature.