• Brahim Kammoun, Houda Belmabrouk, Fatma Kolsi, Omar Kammoun, Rim Kallel, Mouna Ammar, Mouna Kallel, Mohamed Amine Mseddi, and Mohamed Zaher Boudawara.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Habib Bourguiba University Hospital, Sfax University, Sfax, Tunisia. Electronic address: kammoun.brahim28@gmail.com.
• World Neurosurg. 2019 Oct 1; 130: 391-399.

BackgroundPheochromocytoma brain metastasis is extremely rare. Few cases have been reported in the literature. Therefore, diagnosis and effective treatment of these lesions are difficult.Case DescriptionHere, we report the case of 29-year-old woman, who was operated on for a right adrenal pheochromocytoma. Fourteen months later, a posterior fossa tumor was diagnosed. Radiologic findings mimicked an extra-axial lesion. The radiologic differential diagnosis was difficult even using magnetic resonance imaging spectroscopy. The patient was operated on through a retrosigmoid approach. Local recurrence occurred 6 months after first surgery. The patient died 1 month later, despite a second operation.ConclusionsAlthough the occurrence of brain metastases in pheochromocytoma is not prevalent, patients presenting with suggestive features need to be carefully considered. Magnetic resonance imaging can help in differential diagnosis with a primary brain tumor. There are no established guidelines for the treatment of pheochromocytoma brain metastasis, for which the prognosis remains dismal, despite effective surgery.Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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