Bilateral Neurolymphomatosis of the Cerebellopontine Angle

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46531/sinapse/CC/230056/2023

Keywords:

Cerebellar Neoplasms, Cerebellopontine Angle, Lymphoma

Abstract

Tumours of the cerebellopontine angle and internal auditory canal are frequent, typically vestibular schwannomas (only rarely bilateral) and meningiomas. We describe the case of a 76-year-old man who presented with persistent peripheral facial paralysis, which proved to be secondary to a process of bilateral primary neurolymphomatosis of the facial and vestibulocochlear cranial nerves, caused by sequential involvement of both cerebellopontine angles and internal auditory canals due to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Neurolymphomatosis is an uncommon cause of lesions with this topography. Its diagnosis is usually difficult and time-consuming, and the prognosis ominous. Nevertheless, and in face of the possibility of a good response to targeted treatment, if promptly initiated, this entity should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of tumours of the cerebellopontine angle in patients with atypical or aggressive progression.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

- Moffat DA, Ballagh RH. Rare tumours of the cerebellopontine angle. Clin Oncol. 1995;7:28–41.

- Brunori A, Scarano P, Chiappetta F. Non-acoustic neuroma tumor (NANT) of the cerebello-pontine angle: a 15-year experience. J Neurosurg Sci. 1997;41:159–68.

- Markovic N, Ikeda KM. Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Presenting as Bilateral Internal Auditory Canal Lesions. Can J Neurol Sci. 2017;44:621-3. doi: 10.1017/cjn.2017.23

- Kjolby M, Muller K, Schumacher M. Cerebellopontine angle primary diffuse large B cell (non-Hodgkins) lymphoma mimicking an acoustic schwannoma. Eur J Radiol Extra. 2006;60:93-6.

- Friedmann DR, Grobelny B, Golfinos JG, Roland Jr JT. Nonschwannoma Tumors of the Cerebellopontine Angle. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2015;48:461-75. doi: 10.1016/j.otc.2015.02.006.

- Bonneville F, Sarrazin JL, Marsot-Dupuch K, Iffenecker C, Cordoliani YS, Doyon D, et al. Unusual lesions of the cerebellopontine angle: a segmental approach. Radiographics. 2001;21:419-38. doi: 10.1148/radiographics.21.2.g01mr13419.

- Berciano J. Primary central nervous system lymphoma mimicking cerebellopontine angle lesion. Neurologia. 2020;35:506-7. doi: 10.1016/j.nrl.2019.01.002.

- Mori Y, Yamamoto K, Ohno A, Fukunaga M, Nishikawa A. Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma with Peripheral Nerve Involvement: Case Report. Cureus. 2019;11:e5675. doi: 10.7759/cureus.5675.

- Baehring JM, Damek D, Martin EC, Betensky RA, Hochberg FH. Neurolymphomatosis. Neurol Oncol. 2003;5:104–15. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/nop021.

- Tabuchi S, Yoshioka H, Nakayasu, Watanabe T. Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma of the Cerebellopontine Angle That Initially Occurred as Neurolymphomatosis of the Acoustic Nerve. NMC Case Rep J. 2014;1:28-32. doi: 10.2176/nmccrj.2013-0353.

- Modi T, Verma M, Patkar D. Multiple Cranial Nerve Involvement as a Presentation of Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma: A Case-Based Review. Asian J Neurosurg. 2021;16:835-40. doi: 10.4103/ajns.AJNS_110_21.

- Singh SS, Mittal BR, Kumar R, Singh H, Balaini N, Goyal M. Primary central nervous system lymphoma with diffuse neurolymphomatosis involving multiple cranial and spinal nerve roots. Clin Nucl Med. 2020;45:e285-e287. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0000000000003018.

- Inoue Y, Hirakawa K, Hayata H, Nishiyama D, Fujino T, Tsukamoto T, et al. Neurolymphomatosis of cranial nerves as the responsible lesions for the vocal cord paralysis and facial nerve palsy in a patient with diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma. Ann Hematol. 2023;102:481-2. doi: 10.1007/s00277-022-05038-9.

- Jayashankar N, Kodur S, Patkar D, Verma M. Primary lymphoma of internal acoustic meatus mimicking vestibular schwannoma-a rare diagnostic dilemma. J Neurol Surg Rep. 2021;82:e1-e5. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1722343.

- Lin Y, Huang M, Wang F, Xu D, Gao Q, Zang W, et al. Primary large B-cell lymphoma involving the cerebellopontine angle: a case report. Int J Clin Exp Pathol. 2020;13:2612-14.

- Scott BJ, Douglas VC, Tihan T, Rubenstein JL, Josephson SA. A systematic approach to the diagnosis of suspected central nervous system lymphoma. JAMA Neurol. 2013;70:311. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2013.606.

- Gan HK, Azad A, Cher L, Mitchell PLR. Neurolymphomatosis: diagnosis, management, and outcomes in patients treated with rituximab. Neuro Oncol. 2010;12:212-5. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/nop021.

- Grisariu S, Avni B, Batchelor TT, van den Bent MJ, Bokstein F, Schiff D, et al. International Primary CNS Lymphoma Collaborative Group. Neurolymphomatosis: an International Primary CNS Lymphoma Collaborative Group report. Blood. 2010;115:5005-11. doi: 10.1182/blood-2009-12-258210.

- Peitersen E. Bell’s palsy: the spontaneous course of 2,500 peripheral facial nerve palsies of different etiologies. Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 2002;549:4–30.

- Danchaivijitr N, Hesselink JR, Aryan HE, Herndier B. Cerebello-Pontine Angle (CPA) Lymphoma With Perineural Extension into the Middle Fossa: Case Report. Surg Neurol. 2004;62:80-5. doi: 10.1016/j.surneu.2003.07.013.

- Blioskas S, Tsaligopoulos M, Kyriafinis G, Psillas G, Markou K, Perifanis V, et al. Bilateral secondary neurolymphomatosis of the internal auditory canal nerves: A case report. Am J Otolaryngol. 2013;34:556-8. doi: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2013.04.002.

- Bromberg JE, Breems DA, Kraan J, Bikker G, van der Holt B, Smitt PS, et al. CSF flow cytometry greatly improves diagnostic accuracy in CNS hematologic malignancies. Neurology. 2007;68:1674–9. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000261909.28915.83.

Published

2023-10-18

How to Cite

1.
Azoia CQ, Marques AJ, Costa A, Taipa R, Rocha L. Bilateral Neurolymphomatosis of the Cerebellopontine Angle. Sinapse [Internet]. 2023 Oct. 18 [cited 2024 May 16];23(3):151-6. Available from: https://sinapse.pt/index.php/journal/article/view/13

Issue

Section

Case Reports

Most read articles by the same author(s)