[Primary cerebral neuroblastoma--case report (author's transl)].

Primary cerebral neuroblastoma is rare. The case reported here was a 2-year-old girl who was comatose on admission to the Mito National Hospital. She had experienced headache and vomiting during the last two months. Neurological examination showed bilateral papilledema, left oculomotor palsy and bilateral Babinski's sign. A-P view of the left carotid angiogram showed square shift of the anterior cerebral artery to the right, and the lateral view showed upward and anterior displacement of the middle cerebral artery. CT revealed large mass lesion in the left parieto-temporal lobe, which was slightly enhanced on the contrast study. Subtotal removal of the tumor was performed on the day of admission. On the 15th postoperative day, she was started on radiation therapy to the brain and received 1900 rads. Vincristin and ACNU were administrated with radiation therapy. She improved progressively five weeks after the operation and CT demonstrated marked shrinkage of the tumor. However, signs of increased intracranial pressure were reappeared and she died six months after the operation. Autopsy showed well defined soft and grayish white tumor in the occipito-temporal lobe, which extended to the left thalamus and basal ganglia. No other tumor was present extracranially. Microscopic examination demonstrated Homer-Wright rosette and zonal filament. Pathological diagnosis was neuroblastoma.