Sudden death due to dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor

Sudden death in adults from presumably natural causes occurs more frequently than is commonly thought. Numerically they constitute a significant fraction of the total mortality of which central nervous system causes account for 15 percent of the cases. The neoplasms of neuroepithelial origin account for 3 percent of these cases. We are presenting a case of 40 year old woman, who suddenly developed vomiting, abdominal pain and rapidly deteriorating vitals over a period of 20 h and breathing last on the way to the hospital. A cystic swelling of the right frontal lobe was present at autopsy, histopathological examination of the swelling revealed to be Dysembryoplastic Neuroepithelial Tumour (DNT). DNT is a rare neurological tumor characterized by presence of neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes presenting with complex partial seizures. It frequently affects the frontal and temporal lobes of adolescents and young adults.