Direct Cranial Nerve Involvement by Gliomas: Case Series and Review of the Literature

作者:Mabray M C*; Glastonbury C M; Mamlouk M D; Punch G E; Solomon D A; Cha S
来源:American Journal of Neuroradiology, 2015, 36(7): 1349-1354.
DOI:10.3174/ajnr.A4287

摘要

Malignant gliomas are characterized by infiltrative growth of tumor cells, including along white matter tracts. This may result in clinical cranial neuropathy due to direct involvement of a cranial nerve rather than by leptomeningeal spread along cranial nerves. Gliomas directly involving cranial nerves III-XII are rare, with only 11 cases reported in the literature before 2014, including 8 with imaging. We present 8 additional cases demonstrating direct infiltration of a cranial nerve by a glioma. Asymmetric cisternal nerve expansion compared with the contralateral nerve was noted with a mean length of involvement of 9.4 mm. Based on our case series, the key imaging feature for recognizing direct cranial nerve involvement by a glioma is the detection of an intra-axial mass in the pons or midbrain that is directly associated with expansion, signal abnormality, and/or enhancement of the adjacent cranial nerves.

  • 出版日期2015-7