[Papilloma of the choroid plexus of the lateral ventricle without generalized hydrocephalus]

A benign papilloma of the choroid plexus of the left lateral ventricle is found in a five-month old infant. An important dilatation of the isolated occipital horn is observed, without generalized enlargement of the ventricles. The clinical signs are limited to a moderate macrocephaly with deviation of head and eyes to the left. The absence of global hydrocephalus is rather exceptional in such cases, where overproduction of cerebrospinal fluid, in an amount proportional to the tumoral mass, is generally admitted. Nevertheless, the literature offers no absolute proof of the role of oversecretion alone in the origin of hydrocephalus, whilst an eventual obstruction of the circulatory pathways and resorption areas of the C.S.F. must be kept in mind. The absence of hydrocephalus, in the present case, suggests that the subarachnoid spaces and arachnoid villi remained patent.