Central Nervous System Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor Masquerading as Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare tumor in the central nervous system (CNS), mostly being extracranial. Approximately 100 sporadic cases have been reported in the literature. The rarity of the tumor, its various histopathological characteristics, and its variable aggressive course render it difficult to diagnose and treat. IMT is generally a histological diagnosis which is rarely suspected preoperatively. It mimics other intracranial tumors such as giant cell tumor, hemangiopericytoma, anaplastic meningioma, plasmacytoma, and lymphoma. Rarely, it can present with a clinical picture which mimics a benign infective process, Rosai-Dorfman disease, or an idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis. High index of suspicion is required as total resection of this lesion is mandatory to prevent recurrence. Here, we describe a case of a 10-year-old child which initially presented with clinical features mimicking chronic suppurative otitis media and radiological presentation of a small intracranial abscess. He was initially treated by an ENT surgeon who started him on intravenous antibiotics, but the patient was lost to follow up. He returned after 2 months with a large lesion at the same location. Histological examination revealed multiple spindle cells with plasma cells and lymphocytes scattered among these spindle cells. The spindle cells were immunopositive for smooth muscle actin and negative for epithelial membrane antigen, S100, and CD34.