Paracoccidioidomycosis in the Central Nervous System

Paracoccidioidomycosis is a systemicmycosis caused by the Paracoccidioides brasiliensis fungus, which is endemic in Latin America. Brazil is the country with the highest number of cases. The affection of the central nervous system (CNS), a potentially fatal condition, occurs in 12% of the cases. The following forms of presentation are identified:meningeal, which is unusual;meningoencephalitic; and pseudotumoral, the latter two being more frequent. Imaging tests are essential for the diagnosis, but the histological identification of the fungus is required for confirmation of the pathology. The clinical picture depends on the neuraxial location.We present a case of amale rural worker, with expansive lesions in the CNS compatible with paracoccidioidomycosis.

Supratentorial Atypical Rhabdoid Teratoid Tumor ­ A Case Report

Atypical rhabdoid teratoid tumors (ARTTs) are rare embryonic tumors, usually localized in the posterior fossa and diagnosed in children under 3 years-old. The treatment includes surgical resection, radio and chemotherapy, and the prognostic is unfavorable, with an average median survival of 1 year. We present the case of a 3-year-old patient, with history of headache and vomiting, followed by absence seizures, temporal automatism, syncope accompanied by sialorrhea and sphincteric loss succeeded by a postictal period. Surgical excision was performed and the anatomopathological study confirmed ARTT. The ARTTs are embryonic tumors, a category in which medulloblastoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) represent the most common central nervous system (CNS) malignancies in childhood.

Tumores teratóides rabdóides atípicos (TTRA) são tumores embrionários raros, geralmente localizados na fossa posterior e diagnosticados em crianças com menos de 3 anos de idade. O tratamento inclui ressecção cirúrgica, radio e quimioterapia. Contudo, o prognóstico é desfavorável, com uma sobrevida média de 1 ano. Apresentamos o caso de um paciente de 3 anos de idade, com quadro de cefaléia e vômitos, companhados por automatismo temporal e perda de consciência, seguidos por período pós-ictal. A ressonância nuclear magnética (RNM) do encéfalo evidenciou lesão frontal compatível com tumor intra-axial, efeito de massa local e invasão do corpo caloso. Foi realizada excisão cirúrgica, e o estudo anatômico-patológico confirmou TTRA. Os TTRA são tumores embrionários, categoria na qual o meduloblastoma e os tumores neuroectodermais primitivos representam as malignidades mais comuns no sistema nervoso central de crianças.