Cerebral vasculitis is a very rare complication after brain tumour surgery. We herein report a case and discuss the origins
of this complication. A 52-year-old female was admitted because of motor aphasia due to a left frontal lobe brain tumour.
The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study revealed a non-enhanced tumour. A partial resection of the tumour and the placement
of an Ommaya’s reservoir were performed. The pathological diagnosis was an oligoastrocytoma. The patient recovered well without
any neurological deficits. Post-operative radiotherapy and the intravenous injection of interferon β were performed. During
these treatments, the patient showed a continued high fever. An MRI scan revealed multiple enhanced lesions in the residual
tumour, thus raising suspicions about a post-operative infection. We therefore performed a tumour biopsy and the removal of
the exogenous materials. The histopathological diagnosis was vasculitis in the residual tumour. The patient’s consciousness
and neurological symptoms recovered quickly with the steroid treatment. Following the radiotherapy (50 Gy total), complete
remission of the tumour was rapidly obtained and no recurrence was observed. Cerebral vasculitis confined to the tumour bed
is an unusual complication; however, this special condition was of critical importance for a successful tumour regression
in this patient.
Keywords Brain tumour - Oligoastrocytoma - Vasculitis - Interferon β - Irradiation