Lateral ventricle ependymoma

A 26-year-old man who experienced a 3-week history of right-sided numbness and a 1-week history of worsening bifrontal headache. Computed tomographic scanning and magnetic resonance imaging of his head demonstrated an irregularly enhancing mass involving the left medial frontal lobe, with extension across the corpus callosum and expansion into the body and atrium of the left lateral ventricle.

Histologic, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic findings were consistent with an anaplastic ependymoma. Unique to this neoplasm was the presence of multiple tumor giant cells. The presence of pleomorphic tumor giant cells is a characteristic feature of the subependymal giant cell astrocytoma, and it is also commonly seen in pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme. Bizarre giant cells were recently described in two filum terminale ependymomas. This report presents the first case of a supratentorial giant cell ependymoma with anaplastic features ¹⁾.