Ventricular system-unrelated cerebellar ependymoma: A case report

Abstract

BACKGROUND An ependymoma is a glial tumor that usually occurs in or near the ventricle, close to the ependyma. It rarely occurs exclusively in the brain parenchyma without being associated with the ventricle. CASE SUMMARY Here, we report a rare case of a cerebellar ependymoma completely located in the brain parenchyma. A previously healthy 32-year-old female with a 1-month history of dizziness was admitted to our hospital. During hospitalization, magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a space-occupying lesion measuring 57 mm × 41 mm × 51 mm in the right cerebellar hemisphere and inferior cerebellar vermis. The patient underwent surgical resection for the right cerebellar mass. Postoperative pathological examination revealed an ependymoma. At 1 year follow-up, the patient was doing well and showed no recurrence. CONCLUSION We conducted a literature review and summarized three theories regarding ependymomas located exclusively in the brain parenchyma, which are key to the diagnosis of intraparenchymal cerebellar ependymomas. Surgery and postoperative radiotherapy are the primary treatment options for ependymomas.