Cavernous sinus neuroblastoma

A case of cerebral neuroblastoma originating in the cavernous sinus is reported. The patient presented with a left cavernous sinus syndrome and the pathological diagnosis came as a histological surprise. Subtotal removal of the tumour and radiotherapy was followed by recurrence and led to re-operation. Postradiotherapy catecholamine level estimation prior to the second operative attempt showed a marked elevation. There is no other report of a primary cerebral neuroblastoma originating in any of the dural sinuses, and there are only 22 cases of cerebral neuroblastomas in adults reported previously. The primary cerebral or peripheral nature of this tumour was difficult to determine. The hypothesis of leptomeningeal nest cells of neural crest origin producing neuroblasts capable of neoplastic transformation, could provide an explanation for the unusual location of this tumour.