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Carcinomatous encephalitis presenting with progressive dementia
Author(s) -
Kitagawa Naoyuki,
Umahara Takahiko,
Kurata Atsushi,
Sakurai Michio
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
neurology and clinical neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.125
0ISSN - 2049-4173
DOI - 10.1111/ncn3.132
Subject(s) - medicine , pathology , magnetic resonance imaging , autopsy , dementia , differential diagnosis , pons , dementia with lewy bodies , cerebellum , radiology , disease , anatomy
We report an autopsy case of a 67‐year‐old woman who developed rapidly progressive dementia with left hemianopia. Gadolinium contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging showed meningeal enhancement of the pons and cerebellum, and enhancement of the right medial occipital region. Post‐mortem examination showed diffuse metastatic dissemination of lung adenocarcinoma. Histopathological changes of Alzheimer's disease were minimal, and neither Lewy body pathology nor prion protein was found. Carcinomatous encephalitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of progressive dementia in patients with cancer. The present case shows the importance of gadolinium contrast magnetic resonance imaging and neuropathological post‐mortem examination.