Multicentric hemangioblastomas in the cerebellum.

An 18-year-old female patient who had been diagnosed as having von Hippel-Lindau disease was admitted to our hospital with signs of increased intracranial pressure. Computed tomographic examination and vertebral angiography revealed the presence of five multicentric cerebellar nodules, of which three had newly occurred in the opposite hemisphere, probably sometime during the 3 years before admission. This case gives us some insights into the biological multipotentiality of cerebellar hemangioblastoma. We stress that close observation is absolutely necessary for this unique group of tumors, even after total excision.