Case 342 -- Upper Extremity Numbness and Weakness

Contributed by Uma Krishnamurti MD, PhD, Amin Kassam MD, William Welch MD and Clayton Wiley MD, PhD
Published on line in March 2003


PATIENT HISTORY:

27-year-old lady with a history of upper extremity numbness and weakness.

RADIOLOGY:

Figure 1 - Precontrast T1 image of the brain reveals a bright cerebellar mass.
Figure 2 - Postcontrast T1 image of the brain reveals enhancement of cerebellar mass.
Figure 3 - Post contrast T1 image of low brainstem displays a nodular mass along the posterior aspect of the medulla.

Patient underwent resection of the cerebellar tumor, which was submitted for pathologic examination.

MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION:

Figure 4 - Low power view of the tumor demonstrating a rich vascular network with interspersed tumor cells.
Figure 5 - High power view demonstrating tumor cells that have an abundant clear vacuolated cytoplasm and small uniform nuclei. No area of hemorrhage or necrosis is seen. Mitoses are not identified.
Figure 6 - Immunohistochemical stain for CD31 highlights the blood vessels.
Figure 7 - Tumor cells are negative for pancytokeratin and epithelial membrane antigen.

FINAL DIAGNOSIS


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