Gliomatosis cerebri — an appropriate diagnosis?

Abstract

Purpose: to evaluate the premises for the diagnosis gliomatosis cerebri in relation to diffuse astrocytomas.

Material and Methods: CT, MR images and pathological analyses were used to assess the cases of 4 patients with diffusely infiltrating astrocytic tumours that radiologically, clinically and pathologically resembled gliomatosis cerebri.

Results and Conclusion: Some astrocytomas have an immense potential for diffuse infiltration and they would seem to be more frequent than recognized hitherto. the definition of gliomatosis cerebri as a separate entity is questionable, and a diagnosis of diffusely infiltrating astrocytoma is recommended in such cases.