A forum dedicated to the expansion in neuropathology knowledge for students and practitioners alike.
The microscopic appearance of ependymomas is dominated by the presence of radially-arranged tumor cells forming rosettes (black arrows), which are named for their resemblance to the flower-like architecture of rose windows in gothic cathedrals. The perivascular pseudorosette, characterized by tumor cells radially arranged around a central vessel, is more common by far, but it is not specific to... Continue Reading →
Not a trick of the eyes. This brain with a pronounced green discoloration belonged to an adult with marked jaundice due to acute and severe liver disease. Jaundice occurs when the blood carries higher than normal levels of bilirubin, a substance that is usually processed by the liver into bile which is then eliminated via the stool and urine. Liver disease... Continue Reading →
Brain infarction, or stroke, refers to brain tissue death due to a lack of life-sustaining blood flow to this area. This brain, which belonged to a person with extensive cardiovascular disease, shows a resolving infarction involving the cerebral cortex of the occipital lobe. Microscopically this yellow-brown discolored area is infiltrated by an army of macrophages that slowly removes the dead brain tissue until,... Continue Reading →
Glomus jugulare tumor is a slow-growing neoplasm that is often found incidentally. It arises within the jugular foramen of the temporal bone, near the opening of the foramen magnum (the large hole at the base of the skull where the spinal cord and brainstem connect). The jugular foramen contains the cranial nerves IX, X, and XI and patients will often present with... Continue Reading →
Acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in a variety of hemorrhagic cerebral insults leading to brain death. This photograph depicting a brain of a person involved in a motor vehicle accident, shows a large hemorrhage in the left temporal-occipital region that 1. involves the brain tissue proper (i.e. intraparenchymal hemorrhage), 2. extends beneath the arachnoid layer of... Continue Reading →
Patients with neurologic dysfunction often require a lumbar puncture (LP) for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. LP-associated complications are uncommon, but can include trauma to local tissues that may result in bleeding. If vascular disruption occurs near or inside the thecal sac at the base of the spinal cord, then the resulting blood clot, or hematoma, can compress spinal nerve... Continue Reading →
The World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of the CNS officially recognizes 13 different variants of meningioma, most of which are Grade 1 tumors that are potentially curable with complete resection. Chordoid meningioma is a rare subtype that accounts for less than 1% of all intracranial meningiomas. They are commonly composed of epithelioid tumor cells,... Continue Reading →
Adventures in Neuropathology 