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Giant clival chordoma causing pathological laughter
Daniel Andrade Gripp1, Antonio Aversa do Souto1, Douglas Gonsales1
1Department of Neurosurgery, National Institute of Cancer, INCA, Centro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Background:
Chordomas are rare slowly growing tumors that originate from remnants of the notochord. They have a malignant local behavior, causing symptoms due to bone infiltration and compression of neurovascular structures. Only a few cases of brain tumors associated with pathological laughter have been reported in the literature.
Case Description:
We report a case of a 42-year-old male patient with this atypical clinical presentation treated at our institution, and discuss the concerning literature.
Conclusion:
Although being a very rare presentation of chordomas, pathological laughter is usually expected to improve after brain stem decompression.
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