K. Nagata et al., GERMINOMA CAUSING WALLERIAN DEGENERATION - CASE-REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE, Journal of neurosurgery, 88(1), 1998, pp. 126-128
Germinomas occurring in the thalamus and basal ganglia sometimes cause
atrophy of the cerebral hemisphere an the affected side. The authors
present the ease of a 12-year-old girl with a germinoma that developed
in the basal frontal lobe and cerebral basal ganglia. Magnetic resona
nce imaging showed atrophy not only of the cerebrum but also of the br
ainstem. A T-2-weighted image revealed an area of high intensity that
proved to be wallerian degeneration extending from the corona radiata
and internal capsule to the brainstem. The authors suggest that this p
athological change may be involved in the development of the symptoms
and hemiatrophy associated with germinomas in this region of the brain
.