Transient Tumor Attacks

Transient amnestic syndrome after spontaneous haemorrhage into a hypothalamic pilocytic astrocytoma.

“…"Transient tumour attacks" may occur in patients with intracranial tumours, and investigations for epilepsy or a vascular cause are often negative.5 One of the cases described by Ross had features suggestive of transient global amnesia, but had a right superior homonymous hemianopia due to a left temporal lobe neoplasm. 5 The aetiology of the cerebral disturbance causing the amnesia remains uncertain. In our case, the temporal lobes were not involved, and there were no other features at presentation or follow up to suggest a diagnosis of epilepsy.…”

Neurological Deficit-Simulating Transient Ischemic Attacks due to Intracranial Meningioma

“…The most frequent tumor found was a supratentorial meningioma [1], Daly et al [2] reported intermittent cerebral symptoms simu lating TIA in 8% of their 210 patients with meningio mas. The transient clinical signs were hemiparesis, dys phasia, blindness, ataxia and paresthesia.…”

“…Recurrent neurological deficit in the form of transient global amnesia has recently been reported in association with temporal meningioma [4], TIA-like epi sodes may also be caused by chronic subdural hemato mas [5,6], Meningioma may even cause recurrent tran sient focal neurological signs, simulating retrobulbar neuritis [7], Several mechanisms have been suggested for the pathophysiology of these 'transient tumor attacks', such as local pressure of the tumor, Todd's paralysis and vas cular insufficiency. This could be due to vasospasm sim ilar to migraine [1], 'steal syndrome' or alteration of blood flow due to dynamic changes in the extent of local brain edema [8], A popular explanation is the spreading cortical depression theory introduced by Ledo [9], One may also consider the simultaneous occurrence of classical TIA and meningioma in the same individual. This might be the case in our third patient.…”

“…However, such cases have been previously de scribed and even gained the name 'transient tumor attacks' [1], Bearing in mind the possibility of frequent misdiagnosis in similar cases, we would like to describe three patients in whom episodes of neurological deficit resembling transient ischemic attacks (TIA) or reversible ischemic neurological deficit (RIND) were the initial manifestations of intracranial meningioma. (fig.…”

Transient global amnesia associated with a large arachnoid cyst of the middle cranial fossa of the non dominant hemisphere

“…In typical cases there are no other neurological or neuropsychological deficits. A recent hypothesis invokes Leao's spreading depression as cause of the disorder [ 11,13]. Epilepsy, cerebral ischemia and migraine have been implicated [2].…”