Multifocal central nervous system lymphoma misdiagnosed as acute disseminated encephalomyelitis

Abstract

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare aggressive extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Difficulties in diagnosing PCNSL are associated with the absence of pathognomonic clinical and neuroimaging findings of this disease. The article describes the clinical case of a female patient with autopsy-confirmed multifocal large-cell B-cell CNS lymphoma misdiagnosed as acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). Clinical and neuroimaging characteristics of PCNSL and ADEM as well as the role of diagnostic methods in establishing the correct diagnosis are discussed.