Low-Grade Astrocytoma Causing Dural and Calvarial Destruction.
Hatim Belfquih1,2, Badr Slioui3, Mohamed Amine Azami4
1Department of Neurosurgery, Avicenne Military Hospital of Marrakech, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco.
Asian Journal of Neurosurgery
|April 14, 2023
Summary
Low-grade astrocytomas rarely cause skull destruction. This case highlights the importance of considering this rare presentation in brain tumor diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- Neurosurgery
- Radiology
Background:
- Intra-axial lesions causing calvarial and dural destruction are typically high-grade tumors like glioblastoma or metastasis.
- Destruction by low-grade gliomas is rare, with oligodendrogliomas being the most common reported subtype.
Observation:
- A 23-year-old male presented with an intra-axial tumor involving the frontal lobe, causing significant destruction of the overlying dura and calvaria.
- The patient underwent maximal safe surgical resection of the tumor.
Findings:
- Histopathological examination confirmed the tumor to be a low-grade astrocytoma.
- This represents an extremely uncommon instance of calvarial and dural destruction by a low-grade astrocytoma.
Implications:
- The mechanism of calvarial thinning is attributed to chronic mass effect and transmission of brain pulsations.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) should consider low-grade astrocytoma in the differential diagnosis for such rare presentations, despite its infrequency.
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