Trigeminal perineural spread of renal cell carcinoma

Propagação perineural trigeminal do carcinoma de células renais

IMAGES IN NEUROLOGY

Trigeminal perineural spread of renal cell carcinoma

Propagação perineural trigeminal do carcinoma de células renais

Alejandro Hornik^I; Jordan Rosenblum^II; José Biller^III

^IDepartment of Neurology, Chief Resident, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, USA

^IIDepartment of Radiology, Director Neuro-Radiology, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, USA

^IIIDepartment of Neurology, Chairman, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, USA

^{Correspondence}

A 55-year-old man had a five-day history of "pins and needles" sensation on the left chin. Examination showed decreased pinprick sensation on the territory of the left mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with gadolinium showed enhancement involving the left mandibular branch (Fig 1). Computed tomography (CT) of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis showed a left kidney mass (Fig 2) diagnosed as renal carcinoma following nephrectomy.

The "numb-chin" syndrome heralds or accompanies systemic malignancies¹. Trigeminal perineural spread has been well-documented in head and neck neoplasms², however, to our knowledge, it has not been reported in renal neoplasms.

Received 01 March 2012

Received in final form 30 April 2012

Accepted 07 May 2012

Conflict of interest: There is no conflict of interest to declare.

• 1. Lossos A, Siegal T. Numb chin syndrome in cancer patients: etiology, response to treatment, and prognostic significance. Neurology 1992;42:1181.
• 2. Warden KF, Parmar H, Trobe JD. Perineural spread of cancer along the three trigeminal divisions. J Neuro-Ophthalmology 2009;29: 300-307.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  08 Oct 2012
• Date of issue
  Oct 2012