Title
Cerebral embolization associated with parenchymal seeding of the left atrial myxoma: Potential role of interleukin-6 and matrix metalloproteinases
Date Issued
01 February 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Blackwell Publishing
Abstract
Systemic embolization has been reported in up to 40% of patients with left atrial myxoma, half of them with cerebral involvement. However, development of intracerebral embolization associated with parenchymal seeding of the myxoma emboli is an extremely rare complication, with only 36 histologically diagnosed cases reported in the published literature. We describe a 69-year-old woman who arrived at the emergency service with hemiparesis associated with drug-resistant epilepsy and a medical history of resection of a left atrial myxoma 10 months previously. Cranial computed tomography revealed multiple large lesions of heterogeneous density and cystic components in the occipital lobes and posterior fossa parenchyma. Histopathological analyses after stereotactic biopsy of the occipital lesion revealed infiltrative myxoma cells with benign histological findings and uniform expression of calretinin similar to that of the primary cardiac myxoma. Additional immunohistochemical studies confirmed brain parenchymal seeding of the myxoma cells with strong expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and focal expression of matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2). Here, we discuss the clinicopathological features of intracerebral embolization of left atrial myxomas associated with progressive parenchymal seeding of the tumor emboli and the potential pathogenic role of IL-6 and MMPs.
Start page
49
End page
57
Volume
41
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Neurología clínica
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85089135517
PubMed ID
Source
Neuropathology
ISSN of the container
09196544
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus