The ocular presentation of intracranial epidermoid tumors: A review of 37 cases from the literature with personal observations on one new patient

Abstract

A review of 37 cases from the literature with personal observations on one new patient with intracranial epidermoid tumor is given. The tumor presents as a suprasellar or intracerebral lesion in young adults of either sex and manifests ocular symptoms in about 50% of the cases. The common ocular presentation is of an isolated optic nerve dysfunction or a chiasmal syndrome which is frequently associated with epileptic manifestations. Computerized tomography typically demonstrates a low density, irregularly-shaped but well-circumscribed lesion occupying the suprasellar cistern or the bases of the frontotemporal lobes and frequently involving the lateral or third ventricles. Occasionally the tumor may be isodense to contiguous brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid. Recognition may then demand neuroradiologic persistence. The tumor should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chiasmal syndromes.

Key Words:

• epidermoid tumor
• chiasmal syndrome
• cholesteatoma
• epilepsy
• optic atrophy
• brain neoplasm