A Case of Multifocal Ectopic Germinoma Manifesting with Medial Longitudinal Fasciculus Syndrome

Intracranial germinomas mainly arise in the pineal gland or neurohypophyseal region. The basal ganglia have been reported as the site of occurrence for ectopic germinomas, whereas other sites have been rarely described. We experienced a case of multifocal ectopic germinoma that arose in the septum pellucidum and the dorsal brain stem, not including the pineal gland, neurohypophysis, and basal ganglia of ectopic germinoma in a pregnant woman.

The patient initially presented to our institution with complaints of diplopia in the past 14 weeks of gestation, and imaging later revealed two intracranial neoplastic lesions, with one lesion involving the septum pellucidum and the other involving the dorsal brainstem. Both tumors were partially excised via a transcortical approach. Based on the results of pathology and immunohistochemistry, the patient was diagnosed with germinoma, and the intraoperative spinal fluid cytology was class V in Papanicolaou classification. The patient received three courses of ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide together with whole-brain irradiation, which resulted in complete elimination of the tumors. No evidence of recurrence was identified after 18 months.

The results illustrated the need to consider germinoma in the differential diagnosis if the lesions involve midline structures such as the septum pellucidum or dorsal brainstem. Given the rarity of germinoma arising outside the pineal gland and neurohypophyseal region, these findings provide key insights into the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.