Anesthetic Management for a Patient with Rosai-Dorfman Disease, Cowden Syndrome, and Lhermitte-Duclos Disease: An Extremely Rare Disease Combination

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare condition that causes massive lymphadenopathy, most commonly in the cervical area. Cowden syndrome (CS) causes hamartomas in the skin and mucosa and predisposes individuals to various malignancies. Lhermitte-Duclos disease (LDD), or dysplastic cerebellar gangliocytoma, is often associated with CS. A 41-year-old female with all three conditions presented with abnormal uterine bleeding and endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN). Precautions should be considered when evaluating patients with RDD and CS preoperatively and during airway management owing to the potential for multisystem involvement, anatomical distortion, and difficult airways. The likelihood of having all three conditions is extremely rare.

Lhermitte-Duclos Disease: A Case Series

Lhermitte-Duclos disease (LDD), or dysplastic cerebellar gangliocytoma, is a rare benign tumor characterized by unilateral hemispheric cerebellar expansion. It is linked to mutations in the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) gene, which inhibit the phosphatidylinositol-3'-kinase pathway, leading to increased cell division and defective neuronal migration. This study aims to compare the clinical, radiological, histopathological, surgical resolution, and follow-up characteristics of reported cases of this rare condition. An in-depth search of LDD patients' clinical records at our institute between 2003 and 2023 was conducted, in addition to a systematic literature review on PubMed. Three patients with a diagnosis of LDD were found. Cerebellar abnormalities, varying headaches, and visual impairment were all present clinically. On T2 in the posterior fossa, all three MRI scans displayed the typical hyperintense parallel streak appearance. The histopathological report showed that large ganglion cells had replaced the granular layer, Purkinje cells had degenerated, the molecular layer had become hyper-myelinated, and synaptophysin and chromogranin were positive. Partial tumor resection and avoiding intracranial hypertension were the main goals of treatment. Genetic follow-up was conducted for all three patients. Neurosurgeons must be aware of LDD to provide close genetic monitoring despite the benign nature of the tumor because of its link to Cowden syndrome and elevated risk of cancer in other organs.

Subacute Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Stroke Radiographically Mimicking Lhermitte-Duclos Disease

Lhermitte-Duclos disease (LDD) is a rare cerebellar lesion characterized by a hamartomatous lesion of the cerebellum. Mainly diagnosed by MRI, the clinical presentation is usually made of neurological symptoms. Modern neuroimaging techniques such as MRI have led to accurate diagnosis of this disease in both its pre- and post-operative periods. We present the case of a 68-year-old male with a past medical history of cardiac stenting and coronary artery disease who originally presented to the emergency department as a transfer for evaluation of possible obstructing hydrocephalus and left posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) infarct. Based on the clinical presentation and imaging, the favored diagnosis of his left cerebellar abnormality was LDD rather than an unusual acute/subacute infarct or a metastatic lesion. The rapid progression of symptoms with rapidly progressive cytotoxic edema on serial CTs helped exclude LDD, which is nearly always more of a chronic process. The classic neuroimaging findings and clinical presentation of LDD are also discussed.