Progressive Disordered Movements in an Infant Leads to Rare Diagnosis

Desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma (DIG) is a supratentorial superficially-located cystic neuroepithelial tumor. It is an exceedingly rare tumor with an incidence of <0.1% of central nervous tumors; approximately 60 cases have been reported in the literature. We present a case of a three-month-...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sarah Pasquale, Aaron Dam, Christopher Kelly, Romaine Schubert, Laura Melville
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: eScholarship Publishing, University of California 2017-01-01
Series:Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine
Online Access:https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4xt1x9ms
Description
Summary:Desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma (DIG) is a supratentorial superficially-located cystic neuroepithelial tumor. It is an exceedingly rare tumor with an incidence of <0.1% of central nervous tumors; approximately 60 cases have been reported in the literature. We present a case of a three-month-old infant with progressive disordered movements described as intermittent upper body stiffening with associated eye blinking, drooling, and change in level of alertness. A seizure was witnessed in the emergency department, after which the child was sent for imaging studies. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a large solid and cystic mass in the temporal region measuring 8.6cm × 7.9cm × 5.1cm. The infant underwent complete surgical resection, and post-surgical pathology revealed a diagnosis of DIG. The patient had an excellent post-operative course in the months following discharge. At his last well-child visit, no neurological deficits were appreciated and the infant was meeting expected milestones for his age.
ISSN:2474-252X