Microgliomatosis: A case report with literature review

ABSTRACT

In 1929, Bailey first described an intracranial sarcomatous tumor as a term of perithelial sarcoma. The term of microgliomatosis was introduced by Benedek and Juba, 1941. In recent period, malignant lymphoma was widely used rather than many other terms such as reticulum cell sarcoma, malignant reticulosis, etc. An autopsy case of microgliomatosis was presented. She was a 33-year-old woman with headache, ataxia, memory disturbance, defecation and micturition difficulty. She was relatively well until 3 months earlier before admission. She visited first St. Vincent Hospital due to memory disturbance, and a tumor was found in her left frontal lobe by CT scanning of her brain. She was transferred to Kang Nam Sacred Heart Hospital for further evaluation of the tumor mass. She ws given steroid therapy and somewhat improved in her symptoms. By follow-up CT scannings, the tumor could not be found. Her general conditions were progressively deteriorated and died on 85th day of her admission. Brain limited autopsy was performed. The external features of her brain were grossly unremarkable. Cut surfaces revealed multiple ill-defined grayish white masses, especially on deep white matter of left frontal lobe, left cingulate gyrus and white matter together with medial side of basal ganglia. The definite size was not able to be measured, but the largest one in left frontal lobe was about 2.5cm in diameter. Microscopically, the tumors have many characteristics of microgliomatosis, such as perivascular arrangement of tumor cells and concentric reticulin condensation. These microscopic features were seen not only in grossly visible masses but also in other areas, almost all cerebral hemispheres. Literature review on microgliomatosis and a case report were done.