Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings of Multinodular and Vacuolating Neuronal Tumor

To present the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of a multinodular and vacuolating neuronal tumor (MVNT).

The authors identified four patients with MVNT in the hospital between January 2015 and October 2019. Both the clinical and radiological data of the patients were collected for analysis.

Three patients complained of non-specific headaches. One patient had vertigo and imbalance. MRI sequences, including spectroscopy, perfusion, and DWI sequences, were retrospectively evaluated. The lesions were located in the subcortical and periventricular white matter of the parietal and temporal lobes, showed confluency, and comprised nodular pattern. The lesions appeared isointense to the cerebral cortex on T1 weighted imaging and hyperintense on T2 weighted and FLAIR sequences. None of the lesions showed diffusion restriction or contrast enhancement. Three of the lesions demonstrated a slight increase in choline peak and a slight decrease in N-acetyl aspartate peak. One lesion showed a noticeable increase in the Cho peak and a decrease in the NAA peak.

Radiological features of MVNT are specific. Recognizing the MRI findings would help avoid unnecessary interventions in these patients, who are usually asymptomatic.