• Takafumi Ogura, Atsushi Kambe, Makoto Sakamoto, Yuki Shinohara, Toshihide Ogawa, and Masamichi Kurosaki.
• Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, Tottori, Japan.
• World Neurosurg. 2018 Jan 1; 109: 230-232.

BackgroundCavernous malformations in the pineal region are rare and difficult to anticipate from preoperative evaluation in patients with pineal apoplexy. We herein report the first case of a pineal cavernous malformation with superficial siderosis. Radiological findings were helpful in identifying the presence of the cavernous malformation.Case DescriptionA 47-year-old female presented with a 4-month history of progressive headache, nausea, and dizziness. She complained of double vision and exhibited upward gaze palsy and papilledema on fundoscopy. Radiological examination revealed subacute hemorrhage in the pineal region and enlarged lateral ventricles. Furthermore, T2-star-weighted gradient-echo magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a linear hypointensity along the pial surface of the cerebral cortex, brainstem, and cerebellum, indicating hemosiderin deposition consistent with superficial siderosis. Suspecting the presence of a cavernous malformation based on the radiological findings of superficial siderosis, we performed total mass resection. The postoperative course was uneventful and her preoperative symptoms resolved completely.ConclusionRadiological findings of superficial siderosis on T2-star-weighted gradient-echo imaging are useful to making a diagnosis of cavernous malformation in cases of pineal apoplexy. They are also important for making the treatment decision to perform total mass resection, which is the best curative method for pineal cavernous malformations.Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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