Neuro-ophthalmologic signs in a recurrent cerebellar astrocytoma after 48 years.

This is a report of the neuro-ophthalmologic and neuropathologic findings in a patient with a recurrence of a cerebellar astrocytoma after 48 years. Dr. Harvey Cushing performed the initial operation at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in 1928. This patient was included in his classic review: "Experiences with the Cerebellar Astrocytomas--A critical review of seventy-six cases." The extensive documentation of the original tumor by Cushing, the unusually long period of 48 years for the recurrence of the tumor, and the opportunity to examine the patient and postmortem brain specimen in detail make this a unique case report.