Abstract
In a patient with a history of malignancy, an isolated neurologic sign or symptom may indicate metastasis to the central nervous system. To exclude this possibility, a lumbar puncture should still be performed after a nondiagnostic cranial computed tomography (CT) scan even in the absence of signs of infection. A case is presented of a 59 year-old man recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with the sole complaint of diplopia. Examination was unremarkable except for a left abducens nerve palsy. Cranial CT scan was normal but initial cerebrospinal fluid results were suggestive of carcinomatous meningitis, and cytology results later confirmed this diagnosis. A review of diplopia and carcinomatous meningitis is presented, along with a suggested conservative diagnostic algorithm for cancer patients presenting with neurologic signs or symptoms.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 351-354 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Journal of Emergency Medicine |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 2002 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Carcinomatous meningitis
- Diplopia
- Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis
- Leptomeningeal metastasis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Emergency Medicine
Cite this
Diplopia in a patient with carcinomatous meningitis : A case report and review of the literature. / Chang, Andrew K.
In: Journal of Emergency Medicine, Vol. 23, No. 4, 11.2002, p. 351-354.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Diplopia in a patient with carcinomatous meningitis
T2 - A case report and review of the literature
AU - Chang, Andrew K.
PY - 2002/11
Y1 - 2002/11
N2 - In a patient with a history of malignancy, an isolated neurologic sign or symptom may indicate metastasis to the central nervous system. To exclude this possibility, a lumbar puncture should still be performed after a nondiagnostic cranial computed tomography (CT) scan even in the absence of signs of infection. A case is presented of a 59 year-old man recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with the sole complaint of diplopia. Examination was unremarkable except for a left abducens nerve palsy. Cranial CT scan was normal but initial cerebrospinal fluid results were suggestive of carcinomatous meningitis, and cytology results later confirmed this diagnosis. A review of diplopia and carcinomatous meningitis is presented, along with a suggested conservative diagnostic algorithm for cancer patients presenting with neurologic signs or symptoms.
AB - In a patient with a history of malignancy, an isolated neurologic sign or symptom may indicate metastasis to the central nervous system. To exclude this possibility, a lumbar puncture should still be performed after a nondiagnostic cranial computed tomography (CT) scan even in the absence of signs of infection. A case is presented of a 59 year-old man recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with the sole complaint of diplopia. Examination was unremarkable except for a left abducens nerve palsy. Cranial CT scan was normal but initial cerebrospinal fluid results were suggestive of carcinomatous meningitis, and cytology results later confirmed this diagnosis. A review of diplopia and carcinomatous meningitis is presented, along with a suggested conservative diagnostic algorithm for cancer patients presenting with neurologic signs or symptoms.
KW - Carcinomatous meningitis
KW - Diplopia
KW - Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis
KW - Leptomeningeal metastasis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036862089&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0036862089&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0736-4679(02)00566-8
DO - 10.1016/S0736-4679(02)00566-8
M3 - Article
VL - 23
SP - 351
EP - 354
JO - Journal of Emergency Medicine
JF - Journal of Emergency Medicine
SN - 0736-4679
IS - 4
ER -