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Washington University Experience | NEOPLASMS (GLIAL) | Glioblastoma - Gross Pathology | 19A0 Case 19 History
Case 19 History ---- The patient was a 36 year old man who suffered a head injury after falling on a scaffolding at work in February of 1999. He had increasingly worsening headaches for the next two months and also had some forgetfulness, irritability and blurred vision. CT revealed a left posterior fronto-parietal vascular mass measuring 6.0 x 7.0 x 5.0 cm proximal to the motor strip, thought to represent a GBM. The patient underwent radiation therapy which was completed in June of 1999. He also had BCNU therapy every six to eight weeks. A follow up MRI in October of 2000 revealed increased size of the mass. At that time he had a seizure at home that continued in the ER. He awakened to voice, did not regard and did not follow commands. A CT scan at that time showed a cystic mass in the left parietal lobe with no mass shift and no evidence of hemorrhage. A short time later he had a generalized tonic-clonic seizure lasting 20 minutes which did not respond to Lorazepam or Dilantin loading. His family requested that he not be intubated and he his respiratory status continued to decline and at the end of November 2000 he ceased to have spontaneous respirations. His whole course lasted about 17 months from his first seizure.
