SUDDEN-DEATH DUE TO UNDIAGNOSED MEDULLARY-PONTINE ASTROCYTOMA

A 20-year-old woman died suddenly and unexpectedly from low-grade medu llary pontine fibrillary astrocytoma. She had experienced neurological symptoms including coughing and choking thought to be asthma, poor mo tor coordination, nasopharyngeal incompetence, and arm pain since the age of 11 months. Despite the long history of symptoms, the tumor rema ined clinically undiagnosed. This case demonstrates the minor, nonloca lizing, and relapsing remitting nature of symptoms and signs related t o this slow-growing tumor. To the best of our knowledge, this is the f irst case of sudden, unexpected death due to brainstem glioma in the E nglish-language literature. Since autopsy disclosed a 5-7 week pregnan cy, this case is also an example of a rare cause of maternal death.