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Forniceal Astrocytoma
Case Detail
| Anatomy: Brain-Spine |
 Joseph Junewick, MD FACR |
| Diagnostic Category: Neoplasia Malignant |
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| Created: about 1 year ago |
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| Updated: about 1 year ago |
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| Tags:
PEDS
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| Modality/Study Types:
MR
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Activities:  PDF  ImageJA |
History
Teenager with intermittent headache.
Case Images
Diagnosis
Forniceal Astrocytoma
Findings
MR – T1 hypointense and T2, FLAIR and post-gadolinium hyperintense lesion of the right anterior column of the fornix.
Discussion
The fornix is a component of the limbic system and largely responsible for memory formation and consolidation. It arises from fibers of the alveus of the hippocampus to form a white matter tract coursing along the anterior thalamus (anterior columns), the inferior aspect of the septa pellucida (crura and body), posterior thalmus and anterior commissure (posterior columns) and into the mammillary bodies, forming the Papez circuit. The fornix may be affected by infection (limbic encephalitis – Herpes), inflammation/demeylination (multiple sclerosis), metabolic disease (Wernicke encephalopathy), trauma/ischemia and neoplasia. Tumors that may involve the fornix include glioblastoma multiforme, astrocytomas (especially fibrillary pilocytic astrocytomas in children), and lymphoma.
Reference
Thomas AG, Koumellis P, Dineen RA. The Fornix in Health and Disease: An Imaging Review.RadioGraphics (2011); 31: 1107-1121.