Nonmeningothelial Dural-Based Lesions: A Histopathological Analysis.

Introduction We report 30 cases of nonmeningothelial dural-based lesions encountered during a 3-year study period. Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed pathology records of patients operated for extra-axial, dural-based lesions during the years 2016 to 2018 and included nonmeningothelial lesions as a part of this study. Results Among the 3,243 neurosurgical specimens for histopathologic examination, only 30 (0.93%) were "nonmeningothelial dural-based lesions." Six (20%) patients were in the pediatric age group. Pathologic assessment identified 13 cases of solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma (43.3%) and 7 cases of Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (23.3%). Two cases (6.7%) were of metastasis. Other lesions included a single case each of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, undifferentiated sarcoma, solitary plasmacytoma, and granulocytic sarcoma. Nonneoplastic lesions included two cases each of Rosai-Dorfman disease and nonspecific inflammatory lesions. Conclusion Nonmeningothelial dural-based lesions being rare, thorough examination of morphological features is a must by the pathologist, to arrive at the accurate diagnosis. Ancillary tests, if required, should be employed in the context of the morphologic picture.

Eosinophilic meningitis due to A. Cantonensis revealed at autopsy.

Parasitic infection of the central nervous system could be fatal, and its incidence is rising due to increasing worldwide travel. Amongst the various nematodes, Angiostrongylus contonensis is the commonest and causes eosinophilic meningitis. It is a zoonotic disease produced due to the ingestion of raw or undercooked snails or slugs. Most cases of angiostrongyliasis are mild and self-limiting, but death can occur in severe cases lacking timely and proper treatment. Very few autopsy cases of A. cantonensis are reported. We present the case of a 32-year-old mentally challenged orphan male with eosinophilic meningitis at autopsy.

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia of the cavernous sinus-A rare occurrence.

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH) is a benign, reactive proliferation of endothelial cells within areas of thrombus. It most commonly occurs in the skin and subcutaneous tissue, with less than 40 cases reported in intracranial location. Ours is the first case report from India of IPEH in the cavernous sinus. A 45-year-old male presented with headache and decreased visual acuity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a well-defined, homogeneously contrast-enhancing mass in the cavernous sinus. Postoperatively, examination of tissue showed organizing thrombus within the vessel wall along with delicate, acellular, pseudopapillary cores. The fibrin-rich connective tissue of these showed blue staining with Masson's trichrome stain. These were lined by a single layer of endothelial cells without evidence of atypia; no nuclear pleomorphism, hyperchromasia, atypical mitosis, or areas of necrosis were seen. Hence, it was diagnosed to be IPEH. Follow-up MRI revealed no residual disease and the patient is disease-free at 8 months. Recognition of this entity by pathologic examination is important to rule out angiosarcoma. Gross total resection is curative. Residual lesions have the potential for recurrence, requiring adjuvant therapy.

Melanoma of the central nervous system: A report of three cases.

Melanomas within the Central Nervous System (CNS) are most commonly metastatic lesions, with primary melanomas comprising only 0.05-0.07% of all brain tumors. We report three cases of primary CNS melanoma. The patients were young adults. There were two females and one male. On preoperative investigations, two cases were misdiagnosed to be angiomas on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The melanotic nature of the lesion was an intraoperative observation. Pathologic examination showed features of malignancy with invasion of tumor cells into the brain parenchyma. In two patients, presence of systemic lesions were ruled out after surgery by whole-body Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan. These patients were subject to adjuvant radiotherapy, while one patient succumbed immediately post-surgery. Primary CNS melanomas are rare with no defined treatment protocols. Histopathology diagnosis is crucial to rule out pigmented mimics.

Bony lesions of cranium and spine: A study of 123 cases.

CONTEXT: Bony lesions involving the cranium and spine have a wide range of etiologies, ranging from congenital, traumatic, inflammatory, to neoplastic. AIM: The aim was to analyze the histological spectrum of various bony lesions of cranium and spine received as biopsies from the neurosurgery department in our hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: There were 123 cases of bony lesions of cranium and spine diagnosed over a period of 5 years during 2015-2019 in the neuropathology laboratory. These cases were studied retrospectively. RESULTS: Out of the total 123 cases of bony lesions analyzed, 75 affected the cranium and 48 affected the spine. Overall, neoplastic lesions (83) were more frequent than the nonneoplastic lesions (40). In the cranium, neoplastic lesions (66/75) outnumbered the nonneoplastic ones (9/75), whereas in the spine, nonneoplastic lesions (31/48) were more common. Chordoma (40/83) was the most common neoplasm, whereas tuberculous osteomyelitis (30/40) was the most common nonneoplastic lesion encountered. Majority of the patients were adult males aged between 21 and 50 years. Rare lesions such as spinal osteochondroma, poorly differentiated neoplasm metastatic to the cervical spine from a primary salivary gland neoplasm, spinal metastasis of a glioblastoma, and intraosseous meningioma of cranium were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides epidemiological information regarding the incidence and nature of bone lesions of the spine and cranium.

Hemangiopericytoma of the cervical spine.

A 28-year-old male presented with neck pain and dysesthesias in the right upper limb. On examination, he had a firm, well-defined midline posterior cervical mass discernible on palpation at the mid-cervical level. He had no neurological deficit. Neuroradiology revealed a variegated enhancing cervical mass is arising from C3 lamina. The mass extended into the right extradural space eroding the C3 lamina and posteriorly into the intermuscular plane. The tumor was excised totally. Histopathology of the tumor showed features of hemangiopericytoma (HPC). The patient underwent postoperative radiotherapy. Primary osseous spinal HPC are rare malignant extra-axial tumors that tend to recur and metastasize. Only two cases of primary osseous HPC have been reported earlier to involve the cervical spine. The clinical presentation and management of the present case with a review of the literature is presented.

Clear cell myoepithelial carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma.

Pleomorphic adenoma is the most common epithelial neoplasm of lacrimal gland. A clear cell myoepithelial carcinoma arising in the background of pleomorphic adenoma is common in the salivary glands but very rare in the lacrimal glands. We report the case of a 27 year old man whose lacrimal gland pleomorphic adenoma recurred several times over a period of four years and ultimately evolved into a clear cell myoepithelial carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma.

Primary paraganglioma of the spine: A clinicopathological study of eight cases.

CONTEXT: Spinal paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors of the extra-adrenal paraganglionic system. AIMS: This study describes the clinicopathological features of eight cases of spinal paraganglioma and highlights the significance of important morphological features and immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of paraganglioma at this unusual site. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All the cases of primary spinal paragangliomas diagnosed during the last six years (2008-2013) in the Department of Pathology at our hospital were reviewed. RESULTS: There were six males and two females. The mean age at diagnosis was 50.4 years. All patients presented with low back pain. All tumors were located in the cauda equina or conus medullaris region. Magnetic Resonance Imaging and intraoperative appearance were that of a vascular, well-circumscribed intradural, extramedullary tumor suggestive of either schwannoma or ependymoma. All the patients underwent gross total resection of the tumor. Histopathology in five of the cases showed 'ependymoma-like histology' while only three cases had a predominant classic 'zellballen' pattern. Two cases had prominent 'gangliocytic differentiation'. In the five cases with 'ependymoma-like histology', the diagnosis was confirmed on Immunohistochemistry (IHC). CONCLUSIONS: Even though relatively rare, paraganglioma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of spinal tumors and due to their clinical, radiological and histopathological similarity to schwannoma and ependymoma, the diagnosis should be based on close examination of the clinical, radiological and pathological findings.

Intramedullary conus metastasis from carcinoma lung.

A 46-year-old male presented with progressive paraparesis and sensory impairment in both lower limbs since 2 months. He had urinary and bowel incontinence. On examination he had flaccid paraplegia with a sensory level at 11(th) dorsal vertebral level. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the lumbosacral spine showed an enhancing intramedullary lesion in the conus. The patient underwent excision of the conus mass. Histopathology confirmed the tumor to represent a poorly differentiated metastatic carcinoma from an unknown primary. A positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scan of the whole body revealed hypermetabolic activity in the hilum of the right lung confirmed to be a lung carcinoma on a CT-guided biopsy. The patient was undergoing chemoradiation at 1 month follow-up. The author's literature search has yielded only four other case reports of conus metastasis of which only one is in English literature. The present case report and review of literature are presented.