A forum dedicated to the expansion in neuropathology knowledge for students and practitioners alike.
Cranial nerve schwannomas most commonly arise from Schwann cells that myelinate the distal aspect of the vestibular division of the 8th cranial nerve. Vestibular schwannomas, sometimes referred to by the double misnomer "acoustic neuroma" (it is a double misnomer because they are not neuromas and they do not usually involve the acoustic division of cranial... Continue Reading →
For many years the only mechanism for observing gross pathologic features of CNS neoplasms was to examine brains extracted after death. However, advancements in imaging technology now allow providers to observe typical gross neuropathological findings in the brains of living patients. Some brain tumors have characteristic MRI findings, an example of which is a cyst... Continue Reading →
Schwannomas are peripheral nerve sheath tumors that arise from cells that myelinate peripheral nerve axons called Schwann cells. A classic histologic finding in schwannomas are Verocay bodies (arrows), which consist of short palisades of tumor cell nuclei separated by eosinophilic anucleate bands of tumor cell processes. Verocay bodies are often more prominent in schwannomas that arise in the setting of a... Continue Reading →
Oligodendrogliomas often show the classic “fried egg” appearance, in which each cell contains a small round monomorphic nucleus with a perinuclear region of clearing, as well as small delicate blood vessels, or “chicken-wire vasculature”. The fried egg morphology is an artifact of formalin fixation and will not be observed in frozen tissue sections. In addition,... Continue Reading →
Astrocytomas (i.e. glial tumors that diffusely infiltrate through brain tissue) are composed of neoplastic astrocytes that may occasionally exhibit certain morphologic differences when observed microscopically. Gemistocytic astrocytes are characterized by eccentric nuclei and plump pink cytoplasm that superficially resembles the belly of a pregnant woman when viewed from above. Neoplasms that are predominantly composed of... Continue Reading →
Schwannomas are typically sporadic lesions which stem from the Schwann cells that myelinate (or insulate) the peripheral nerves. Patients with multiple schwannomas are more likely to have an associated familial tumor syndrome, such as Neurofibromatosis Type II (NF2). NF2 is a disorder in which a person inherits a defective gene, called NF2, that affects the merlin tumor suppressor protein thereby permiting... Continue Reading →
A high level walk-through of the process of a pathological evaluation of a specimen biopsied for an intraoperative consultation, including frozen section preparation. https://youtu.be/XU9zIjQ7Sjw For further study on this topic and others related to neuropathology and neuroanatomy, the following books come highly recommended, and a small portion of the proceeds (or any Amazon purchase through these links)... Continue Reading →
Part 2 of a multi-part series on Multiple Sclerosis that reviews the microscopic features and histopathologic diagnosis of a frozen section of brain tissue assessed during intraoperative consultation. https://youtu.be/60Qcjd3Ri38 For further study on this topic and others related to neuropathology and neuroanatomy, the following books come highly recommended, and a small portion of the proceeds (or any... Continue Reading →
The normal histology of the brain has a wide variety of cytomorphologic appearances that give rise to a remarkable diversity of brain tumors. This video reviews normal cell types of the brain and the tumors to which they give rise. https://youtu.be/EpqxhOT9jdE For further study on this topic and others related to neuropathology and neuroanatomy, the following books come... Continue Reading →
Arteriovenous malformation, or AVM, is a collection of abnormal vessels that lack an intervening capillary bed and are separated by gliotic brain tissue. Some vessels have thick walls with elastic laminae typical of arteries, while others have thin collagenous walls typical of veins. In addition, "arterialization of a vein" can also be seen in which... Continue Reading →
Adventures in Neuropathology 