Gliomatosis Cerebri Manifested as Parkinsonism Syndrome: A Case Report.

Abstract

Introduction: Gliomatosis cerebri (GC) is a diffuse neoplastic process, whose presentation is extremely rare and lacks a characteristic clinical pattern. The objective of this case is to describe the clinical aspects of a patient with GC, in whom symptoms of parkinsonism and neurocognitive issues predominate. Case Report: A 78-year-old patient with no significant medical history was referred to the neurology consultation due to balance disturbances accompanied by head tremor. Symptoms of parkinsonism progressively worsened, adding cognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed diffuse and generalized white matter hyperintensity. Under the suspicion of GC, a frontal lobe biopsy was performed, with a pathology report of diffuse astrocytoma, thus confirming the diagnosis of GC. Conclusion: GC is a disease that presents with nonspecific clinical manifestations, making a clinical diagnosis challenging. It should be suspected in cases of parkinsonism accompanied by other focal neurological disorders. This leads to delayed diagnosis and consequently low incidence. The importance of MRI as a diagnostic aid is highlighted, with biopsy being necessary to confirm the diagnosis.