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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Fahimeh Shojaei, M.D.
On the basis of seizure, visual disturbance, and constitutional symptoms, astrocytoma must be differentiated from oligodendroglioma, meningioma, hemangioblastoma, pituitary adenoma, schwannoma, primary CNS lymphoma, medulloblastoma, ependymoma, craniopharyngioma, pinealoma, AV malformation, brain aneurysm, bacterial brain abscess, tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, hydatid cyst, CNS cryptococcosis, CNS aspergillosis, and brain metastasis.
On the basis of seizure, visual disturbance, and constitutional symptoms, primary central nervous system lymphomamust be differentiated from oligodendroglioma, meningioma, hemangioblastoma, pituitary adenoma, schwannoma, astrocytoma, medulloblastoma, ependymoma, craniopharyngioma, pinealoma, AV malformation, brain aneurysm, bacterial brain abscess, tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, hydatid cyst, CNS cryptococcosis, CNS aspergillosis, and brain metastasis.
| Diseases | Clinical manifestations | Para-clinical findings | Gold standard |
Additional findings | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symptoms | Physical examination | |||||||||
| Lab Findings | MRI | Immunohistopathology | ||||||||
| Head- ache |
Seizure | Visual disturbance | Constitutional | Focal neurological deficit | ||||||
| Adult primary brain tumors | ||||||||||
| Primary CNS lymphoma [1][2] |
+ | +/− | +/− | − | + | − |
|
|
| |
| Glioblastoma multiforme [3][4][5] |
+ | +/− | +/− | − | + | − |
|
|
| |
| Oligodendroglioma [6][7][8] |
+ | + | +/− | − | + | − |
|
|
| |
| Meningioma [9][10][11] |
+ | +/− | +/− | − | + | − |
|
|
| |
| Hemangioblastoma [12][13][14][15] |
+ | +/− | +/− | − | + | − |
|
| ||
| Pituitary adenoma [16][17][5] |
− | − | + Bitemporal hemianopia | − | − |
|
|
|
| |
| Schwannoma [18][19][20][21] |
− | − | − | − | + | − |
|
|
| |
| Childhood primary brain tumors | ||||||||||
| Pilocytic astrocytoma [22][23][24] |
+ | +/− | +/− | − | + | − |
|
|
| |
| Medulloblastoma [25][26][27] |
+ | +/− | +/− | − | + | − |
|
|
| |
| Ependymoma [28][5] |
+ | +/− | +/− | − | + | − |
|
|
| |
| Craniopharyngioma [29][30][31][5] |
+ | +/− | + Bitemporal hemianopia | − | + |
|
|
|
| |
| Pinealoma [32][33][34] |
+ | +/− | +/− | − | + vertical gaze palsy |
|
|
|
| |
| Vascular | ||||||||||
| AV malformation [35][36][5] |
+ | + | +/− | − | +/− | − |
|
| ||
| Brain aneurysm [37][38][39][40][41] |
+ | +/− | +/− | − | +/− | − |
|
|
|
|
| Infectious | ||||||||||
| Bacterial brain abscess [42][43] |
+ | +/− | +/− | + | + |
|
|
|
|
|
| Tuberculosis [44][5][45] |
+ | +/− | +/− | + | + |
|
|
|
|
|
| Toxoplasmosis [46][47] |
+ | +/− | +/− | − | + |
|
|
|
|
|
| Hydatid cyst [48][5] |
+ | +/− | +/− | +/− | + |
|
|
|
|
|
| CNS cryptococcosis [49] |
+ | +/− | +/− | + | + |
|
|
|
|
|
| CNS aspergillosis [50] |
+ | +/− | +/− | + | + |
|
|
|
|
|
| Other | ||||||||||
| Brain metastasis [51][5] |
+ | +/− | +/− | + | + | − |
|
|
|
|
ABBREVIATIONS
CNS=Central nervous system, AV=Arteriovenous, CSF=Cerebrospinal fluid, NF-2=Neurofibromatosis type 2, MEN-1=Multiple endocrine neoplasia, GFAP=Glial fibrillary acidic protein, HIV=Human immunodeficiency virus, BhCG=Human chorionic gonadotropin, ESR=Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, AFB=Acid fast bacilli, MRA=Magnetic resonance angiography, CTA=CT angiography