GLIOMATOSIS CEREBRI - A BRAIN-TUMOR WHICH IS TOO DIFFICULT TO TREAT

Gliomatosis cerebri is a rare form of primary diffuse brain tumour fir st described by Nevin in 1938.(1) It was originally considered to be a post-mortem diagnosis before Troost et al reported a clinically diagn osed case in 1987.(2) However antemortem diagnosis remains difficult d ue to vague clinical symptoms and often non-specific findings on CT sc anning. Gliomatosis cerebri has been classified by the World Health Or ganisation as an infiltrative tumoural process, which involves at leas t two and usually three, lobes of the brain.(3) Magnetic resonance (MR ) imaging shows a diffuse infiltrative process with possible mass effe ct but no necrosis. histology is usually of a low grade astrocytic neo plasm which seemingly infiltrates our of proportion to the degree of a naplasia. We report two patients who presented over the past year, who se clinical and radiological features prompted a preoperative diagnosi s of gliomatosis cerebri, confirmed by biopsy.