López PA, Hernández SM, Zarate MA, García S, Solís SO

Language: Spanish
References: 14
Page: 205-211
PDF size: 167.07 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Objective and importance: diencephalic syndrome of emaciation (DS) is seen almost exclusively in infants and young children, and only two cases of DS in adults have been reported previously. We describe a case of DS associated with external radiotherapy in an adult patient with a pineal tumor. Clinical presentation: A 34-year-old man presented with profound emaciation, disorientation, memory loss, and psychological disorders. Computed tomographic scanning and magnetic resonance imaging of his brain disclosed a diencephalic lesion after radiotherapy . The preoperative endocrinological examination indicated an elevated growth hormone level and a decreased somatomedin C level. Intervention: the patient underwent a Estereotactic biopsy followed with 20 radiotherapy sesions. The histological examination revealed a pinealocytoma. The patient received 35 Gy of radiotherapy, which resulted in 98% reduction of the tumor size within 6 months, as indicated by the magnetic resonance images presented. The psychological disorders,memory disturbance, and severe emaciation increased fatally thereafter. Discusion: radiotherapy in patients with diencephalic lesions is a conditional factor in developing diencephalic syndrome. Conclusion: although extremely rare, DS can occur in an adult harboring a tumor in the anterior hypothalamus. And more difficult after radiotherapy in this case we considered a selective demilinizating effect

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