Primary Neurolymphomatosis of the Lower Cranial Nerves Presenting as Dysphagia and Hoarseness: A Case Report

Abstract Primary neurolymphomatosis is an extremely rare tumor. We report the case of a 74-year-old patient presenting with dysphagia and hoarseness. Initial contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the head, neck, and chest did not reveal any lesions. His symptoms improved with short-term administr...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Naoto Sakai, Tae Ito-Yamashita, Goro Takahashi, Satoshi Baba, Shinichiro Koizumi, Tomohiro Yamasaki, Tsutomu Tokuyama, Hiroki Namba
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Georg Thieme Verlag KG 2014-01-01
Series:Journal of Neurological Surgery Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0033-1363505
Description
Summary:Abstract Primary neurolymphomatosis is an extremely rare tumor. We report the case of a 74-year-old patient presenting with dysphagia and hoarseness. Initial contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the head, neck, and chest did not reveal any lesions. His symptoms improved with short-term administration of prednisone but recurred and deteriorated. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed a tumor along the ninth and tenth cranial nerves across the jugular foramen. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography indicated this was a primary tumor. Repeated MR imaging after 2 months revealed considerable tumor enlargement. A left suboccipital craniotomy was performed to remove the tumor that infiltrated the ninth and tenth cranial nerves. The histopathologic diagnosis was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Although focal radiation therapy was administered to ensure complete eradication of the tumor, the patient died of aspiration pneumonia with systemic metastasis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of primary neurolymphomatosis in the lower cranial nerves.
ISSN:2193-6358
2193-6366