Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma: Report of a case diagnosed by intraoperative cytopathological examination

The authors present an unusual case of a 13-year-old boy with a 3-mo histor y of seizures. A CT scan showed a contrast-enhancing mass located in the le ft temporal lobe. The patient underwent a stereotatic-guided craniotomy; in traoperative cytological diagnosis was performed by the smear technique, sh owing a pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma. The tumor was totally resected. Defi nitive diagnosis was established by examination of paraffin-embedded materi al. Six months after the surgical intervention, the patient is doing well, with no radiological evidence of recurrence. The cytological differential d iagnosis of giant cell lesions of the central nervous system is emphasized. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.