[Suspected germ cell tumor in bilateral basal ganglia with progressive dystonia]

We report an 11-year-old boy with left pyramidal signs followed by progressive dystonia, mental deterioration, bradykinesia and bradyarthria. Evaluation included a CT scan which showed bilateral lesions in the basal ganglia, and an elevated serum B-HCG. Those findings suggested a germ cell tumor. The patient was treated with radiation therapy with improvement in neurologic deficits, decreased size of the lesions on CT and a decline in serum B-HCG. The clinical response to radiation treatment is compatible with a germ cell tumor.