{"id":"8d36d9a9-9c9b-4bd9-8e1d-d61c8de3cd94","slug":"pilomyxoid-astrocytoma-of-the-cerebellar-vermis-in-an-elderly-patient","title":"Pilomyxoid astrocytoma of the cerebellar vermis in an elderly patient","authors":["Branko Skovrlj","Margaret Pain","Joshua B. Bederson","Mary Fowkes"],"abstract":"Background: Pilomyxoid astrocytoma (PMA) has recently been accepted as an aggressive variant of pilocytic astrocytoma with distinct histopathological features. PMAs have been frequently described in the pediatric population with a predilection for the hypothalamic/chiasmatic region. Case Description: A 72-year-old African American male presented with 6 months of memory loss, difficulty expressing himself, and a progressively worsening gait. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated a heterogeneously enhancing cystic mass centered within the cerebellar vermis with mass effect on the fourth ventricle and ventriculomegaly. The patient underwent placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt followed by a surgical resection of the lesion, which after immunohistopathologic evaluation, was diagnosed as a World Health Organization grade II PMA. The patient refused further treatment of the lesion and expired 11 months after initial symptom presentation and 4 months after surgery. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report of PMA of the cerebellar vermis in a previously unreported age group. This case report describes the natural history of this type of tumor in a patient who refused adjuvant therapy following surgical resection.","thumbnailUrl":"https://sni-digital-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/8d36d9a9-9c9b-4bd9-8e1d-d61c8de3cd94/featured/hero-1782421007770.png","publishDate":"2014-02-27T00:00:00.000Z","doi":"10.4103/2152-7806.127968","categories":["Original Article"],"fullTextUrl":"https://surgicalneurologyint.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/3886/SNI-5-29.pdf"}