Stitt, Derek

Abstract Low-grade meningiomas with subtotal resection carry significantly shorter recurrence-free survival rates than those with gross total resection. We report the natural history of a case of low-grade meningioma after subtotal resection and review the literature. We aim to highlight known global health disparities in oncology treatment by describing a case of meningioma progression following subtotal resection. A 40-year-old Kenyan woman presented locally with headache, nausea, and vision loss over approximately a six month time period. A 5 cm olfactory groove meningioma was discovered, and she subsequently underwent subtotal resection that was likely limited due to hemorrhagic complications. Over the following two years, she developed progressive dizziness, nausea, gait instability, difficulty performing tasks, and visual loss prompting medical evaluation at our institution. Physical examination demonstrated blindness, bilateral proptosis with severe vertical gaze palsy, and prominent frontal bossing. MRI Brain revealed a 9 cm enhancing mass arising from the cribriform plate with elevation of an ununited overlying frontal craniotomy flap and apparent meningoceles extending through the presumed osteotomy bilaterally. She underwent successful resection with pathology demonstrating CNS WHO Grade 1 meningioma. Her postoperative neurologic exam showed subtle improvement, specifically in regards to orientation questions. In this patient, bone flap displacement from prior craniotomy allowed significant interval tumor growth while minimizing mass effect on brain parenchyma. This case highlights global health disparities in low-grade meningioma management related to appropriate healthcare access in underserved patients.

In this case series, we describe a novel observation in which 4 patients with acute ischemic stroke secondary to large vessel occlusion and no history of seizure present with focal seizure activity localizable to a chronic, contralateral infarct. The explanation for this phenomenon is unknown but may be due to a combination of effects involving disrupted interhemispheric inhibitory connections and epileptogenic changes involving chronically infarcted tissue.

A woman in her 30s was referred to our neurology outpatient clinic following an incidental finding of significant bilateral and symmetric basal ganglia, thalamic, cerebellar and subcortical white matter calcification on brain CT and MRI. A diagnosis of asymptomatic primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) was made. Targeted genetic testing revealed a likely pathogenic variant in the SLC20A2 gene, the most common gene in which pathogenic variants have been implicated in PFBC. These findings prompted genetic testing and brain CT of our patient’s asymptomatic 64-year-old father. These tests revealed the same variant in SLC20A2 and similar brain calcification on CT in the patient’s father.