Neurofibromatosis type 2 patient presenting with medulloblastoma.

BACKGROUND

Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is an autosomal dominant syndrome with a frequency of 1 in 25,000 live births and a penetrance of almost 100% by the sixth decade of life. The main tumors occurring in NF2 patients are bilateral vestibular schwannomas, other peripheral, cranial and spinal nerve schwannomas, intracranial and intraspinal meningiomas, ependymomas, and gliomas.

METHODS

We report the case of a 6-year-old boy who presented with a 1-month history of nausea and recurrent vomiting. Physical examination was positive for ataxic gait and left-sided facial nerve palsy. Family history was positive for NF2 in the patient's father and paternal uncle. Magnetic resonance imaging brain revealed a solid enhancing lesion arising from the right cerebellar cortex, which was effacing the fourth ventricles and causing hydrocephalus. Craniotomy and excision of the lesion were performed. Histopathology report confirmed the diagnosis to be desmoplastic medulloblastoma. Based on the patients' subsequent history and family history, he was diagnosed to be a case of NF2.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first case of medulloblastoma occurring in a patient with NF2 and raises the possibility of an association between medulloblastoma and NF2.