ABSTRACT
Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) are heterogeneous disorders caused by autoimmune responses of cancer, which can affect any part of the nervous system. Anti-amphiphysin antibody is one of the high-risk PNS antibodies, which is usually associated with small cell lung cancer and breast cancer. However, extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma is rare in patients with anti-amphiphysin antibody. A case of anti-amphiphysin-associated paraneoplastic brainstem encephalitis with esophageal neuroendocrine carcinoma is reported. The tumor was detected by fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and pathologically confirmed by gastroscopic biopsy. The patient′s neurological symptoms were partially improved after treatment of intravenous immunoglobulin and glucocorticoids. However, the disease prognosis is closely related to the accompanying tumor.
ABSTRACT
Objective To analyze the clinical and histology characteristics of a patient with frontal lobe epilepsy diagnosed with mild malformation of cortical development with oligodendroglial hyperplasia, and to recognize the new neuropathological entity. Methods Clinical history, seizure types, neuroimaging, electroencephalography as well as macroscope, histology and immunohistochemistry characteristics were collected from a frontal lobe epilepsy patient and were compared with cases from literature. Results It was a female patient aged 16 years with 12 years history of epilepsy. The seizures manifested as episodes of conscious loss with automatism including grope and voice lasting for seconds. About 10 episodes a day were found and sometimes with secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizures. MRI showed blurring of grey-white matter interface in left orbital frontal cortex. Video-encephalography revealed left frontal lobe origin of seizures. So left prefrontal lobe was removed. Histology showed almost normal cortex neuropil and neurons. Blurring of grey-white interface in some area with patches of proliferation of oligodendrocytes in the corresponding sub-cortical white matter was found. The density of oligodendrocytes was significantly higher in sub-cortical than in deep white matter both shown in HE and Oligo-2 staining. Obvious oligodendrocytes increase and satellite phenomenon in deep cortical layer as well as increased ectopic neurons in sub-cortical white matter were found in the lesion. In proliferation area, there were some nuclei stained with Ki-67, but not as high as tumor. Subsequent follow up for two years proved the operation efficacy and benign prognosis. Conclusions There are special and undiscovered histopathological entities in epilepsy etiology. Although known as grey matter disease, white matter pathology plays an important role in epilepsy pathophysiology which needs further research.