PubMed1990
An autopsy case of malignant lymphoma of the central nervous system which showed extracranial disseminations was presented. A 50-year-old man developed mental and physical slowness over one year prior to admission followed by dementia and consciousness disturbance without general physical symptoms. Physical examination on admission showed no lymph node enlargement, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, or abdominal mass. Neurological examination revealed mild dementia, left positive Babinski and Chaddock reflexes, and bilateral positive frontal lobe signs. CT scan revealed low density areas with contrast enhancement in the white matter of the bilateral parietal lobes adjacent to the trigon of lateral ventricles. Without any therapy, the low density area in the left cerebral hemisphere on CT scan disappeared and the low density area in the right cerebral hemisphere became unenhanced. Any other lesions except brain were found despite of the extensive systemic examinations including scintigrams, echograms, gastrointestinal examinations, body CT scan, aspiration of bone marrow, and lymphography. Primary intracranial malignant lymphoma was suspected and treated with steroid without any response. Subsequent radiation therapy made a transient improvement. But a few months later, the brain lesions gradually worsened, followed by general physical deterioration with diarrhea, pleural fluids, and ascites. Cytologic study of cerebrospinal fluid revealed neoplastic lymphocytes with atypical nuclei containing conspicuous nucleoli and mitosis, which were identified as B cell type malignant lymphoma by analysis using monoclonal antibody. The patient died of cardiac failure about two years after the initial symptom.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)