Tumor Seizure

A 24 year old female presenting with seizure was admitted to the ICU yesteday. She was diagnosed with anaplastic astrocytoma last 2008 and underwent craniectomy for removal of her tumor. She was doing ok from 2008 up to late last year, she even went into college and graduated from engineering. She started to feel some back pains late last year and was diagnosed to have lumbar spine metastasis and eventually underwent radiotherapy. Hours prior to admission she was noted to have upward rolling of eyeballs which prompted consult.

Astrocytomas are brain tumors coming from brain cells called astrocytes. They could occur in any part of the brain but most commonly occurring in the cerebrum. They could occur in any age group but the said tumor is more prevalent among adults particularly the middle-aged group. Symptoms include headaches, double or blurred vision, vomiting, changes in mental status, seizure episodes, and difficulty in speech. Main treatment options include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. For our patient, she initially underwent cranial surgery, unfortunately for her there was note of seeding of the primary tumor in her lumbar spine which is currently being treated with radiotherapy. Patient is currently maintained on anti-seizure medications and hopefully improvement will come in the coming days.