Undiagnosed Anaplastic Ganglioglioma Resulting in the Sudden Unexpected Death of a Young Woman.
10.7580/kjlm.2015.39.3.78
- Author:
Moon Young KIM
1
;
Hanna KIM
;
Sung Hye PARK
;
Soong Deok LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. sdlee@snu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Case Report
- Keywords:
Unknown primary neoplasms;
Brain neoplasms;
Ganglioglioma;
Cause of death
- MeSH:
Adult;
Autopsy;
Brain Neoplasms;
Cause of Death;
Diagnosis;
Female;
Ganglioglioma*;
Humans;
Intracranial Pressure;
Necrosis;
Neoplasms, Unknown Primary;
Research Personnel;
Specialization
- From:Korean Journal of Legal Medicine
2015;39(3):78-83
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Intracranial neoplasms usually have definitive symptoms, causing a need for medical intervention, but a few cases result in sudden unexpected death even before diagnosis. In these cases, autopsy or post-mortem imaging may be the only way of identifying the existence of a tumor, so investigators or forensic specialists who participate in the post-mortem inspection should be aware of these possibilities. We report on a case of a 26-year-old woman without any medical history found dead in her home. A 5-cm intraventricular tumor was found during autopsy, which was histologically consistent with anaplastic ganglioglioma a very rare type of neuroglial tumor with the potential for malignant behavior. The tumor showed the characteristic features of anaplastic ganglioglioma, such as increased cellularity, a high Ki-67 proliferative index, and necrosis. There were signs of increased intracranial pressure, including flattened gyri and dilated ventricles, which led to the conclusion that this brain tumor was the cause of death.
