Giant intracranial endolymphatic sac tumor (ELST). Case presentation and histogenetic considerations

Vol. 49 No. 1, 2008

ROMANIAN JOURNAL of MORPHOLOGY and EMBRYOLOGY

D. Arsene, Alina Georgescu, L. Dănăilă, Carmen Ardeleanu

We present a giant tumor of the skull base compressing the brain in a 40-year-old man. The tumor was policystic at imaging. Its histopathology, immunohistochemical profile and long evolution suggest an endolymphatic sac tumor (ELST), a rare case of neoplasia. Since the patient had multiple otolaryngological procedures in his medical history, a possible traumatic pathogenesis could be suspected. On the other way, some immunohistochemical aspects found in our case may imply a histogenesis divergent from that currently accepted. This could be from either the organ of Corti or some local cells that generate a resemblance with a systemic tumor, the so-called benign mesothelioma. Further studies are needed in order to clarify this topic.

Corresponding author: Dorel Arsene, MD, PhD, e-mail: dorelarsene@yahoo.com

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