The computed tomographic findings in intracranial metastases due to breast carcinoma

Abstract

Seventeen patients with breast cancer had CT evidence of intracranial metastatic lesions. Sixteen patients showed neurological abnormalities on examination; one patient had no abnormalities on clinical examination. CT showed evidence of basal parasellar lesions (3 cases), orbital lesions (2 cases), or cerebral hemispheric (intracerebral or subdural) lesions (11 cases). In one case, diffuse meningeal and cortical nodular enhancement was consistent with diagnosis of carcinomatous meningitis. Ten had solitary and seven had multiple lesions. CT showed evidence of bone lesions in 8 cases and there were accompanying parasellar (3 cases), orbital (2 cases), and subdural lesions (3 cases). The intracerebral lesions(s) had an iso- or hypodense appearance on plain scan; there was peripheral rim or nodular enhancement on post-contrast scan.