Rhabdoid tumor: an unusual pediatric brain tumor

Rhabdoid tumors of the brain are rare with an invariable dismal prognosis despite treatment. This is the case of a 3 year old boy who presented lethargy, somnolence, nausea, vomiting, and headaches one week prior to hospitalization. A posterior fossa tumor with hydrocephalus was noted on a head computed tomography (CT) scan. A ventriculoperitoneal shunt was placed with subsequent gross total tumor resection. Pathology findings were those of a rhabdoid tumor. The histopathology, immunohistochemistry and ultrastructure of this unusual pediatric cerebral neoplasia is discussed.

Cerebral hemiatrophy: an associated finding in an epileptic child

Cerebral hemiatrophy is a rarely occurring condition of different etiologies that can be regarded as the final stage of a number of different disease processes. It is characterized by a marked asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres. A 12 year old girl with history of epilepsy since infancy and psychomotor delay presented in status epilepticus, developed marked cerebral edema, bilateral uncal herniation and bilateral infarcts of the posterior cerebral artery territories. Autopsy findings revealed left cerebral hemiatrophy as an incidental findings. The clinicopathologic features and classification of this entity are discussed.