Primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis in a child with a clinical presentation mimicking meningitis: case report and review of literature

Abstract Primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis (PDLM) is a rare and malignant form of melanoma, with an incidence of one in ten million. It most commonly occurs in the fourth decade of life and is even rarer in pediatric populations. Due to its nonspecific clinical presentation, it is often m...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: P. V. Sudharsan, Jeena Joseph, Krishna Prabhu Raju, Geeta Chacko
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-05-01
Series:Egyptian Journal of Neurosurgery
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s41984-025-00423-8
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849688101605081088
author P. V. Sudharsan
Jeena Joseph
Krishna Prabhu Raju
Geeta Chacko
author_facet P. V. Sudharsan
Jeena Joseph
Krishna Prabhu Raju
Geeta Chacko
author_sort P. V. Sudharsan
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis (PDLM) is a rare and malignant form of melanoma, with an incidence of one in ten million. It most commonly occurs in the fourth decade of life and is even rarer in pediatric populations. Due to its nonspecific clinical presentation, it is often misdiagnosed as tuberculous meningitis or hemorrhage. The pre-operative diagnosis of PDLM prior to surgery is highly challenging and is usually confirmed through biopsy, as cutaneous lesions are not commonly present. We present the case of a 7-year-old boy who exhibited symptoms of raised intracranial pressure and fever, which mimicked an infective etiology but was ultimately diagnosed with primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis, a histological surprise.
format Article
id doaj-art-9145b6da01dc4154b32ddd9b4e5bf525
institution DOAJ
issn 2520-8225
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series Egyptian Journal of Neurosurgery
spelling doaj-art-9145b6da01dc4154b32ddd9b4e5bf5252025-08-20T03:22:08ZengSpringerOpenEgyptian Journal of Neurosurgery2520-82252025-05-014011410.1186/s41984-025-00423-8Primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis in a child with a clinical presentation mimicking meningitis: case report and review of literatureP. V. Sudharsan0Jeena Joseph1Krishna Prabhu Raju2Geeta Chacko3Department of Neurological Sciences, Christian Medical CollegeDepartment of Neurological Sciences, Christian Medical CollegeDepartment of Neurological Sciences, Christian Medical CollegeDepartment of Pathology, Christian Medical CollegeAbstract Primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis (PDLM) is a rare and malignant form of melanoma, with an incidence of one in ten million. It most commonly occurs in the fourth decade of life and is even rarer in pediatric populations. Due to its nonspecific clinical presentation, it is often misdiagnosed as tuberculous meningitis or hemorrhage. The pre-operative diagnosis of PDLM prior to surgery is highly challenging and is usually confirmed through biopsy, as cutaneous lesions are not commonly present. We present the case of a 7-year-old boy who exhibited symptoms of raised intracranial pressure and fever, which mimicked an infective etiology but was ultimately diagnosed with primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis, a histological surprise.https://doi.org/10.1186/s41984-025-00423-8MelanosisPediatricDiffuseLeptomeningealMeningitis
spellingShingle P. V. Sudharsan
Jeena Joseph
Krishna Prabhu Raju
Geeta Chacko
Primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis in a child with a clinical presentation mimicking meningitis: case report and review of literature
Egyptian Journal of Neurosurgery
Melanosis
Pediatric
Diffuse
Leptomeningeal
Meningitis
title Primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis in a child with a clinical presentation mimicking meningitis: case report and review of literature
title_full Primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis in a child with a clinical presentation mimicking meningitis: case report and review of literature
title_fullStr Primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis in a child with a clinical presentation mimicking meningitis: case report and review of literature
title_full_unstemmed Primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis in a child with a clinical presentation mimicking meningitis: case report and review of literature
title_short Primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis in a child with a clinical presentation mimicking meningitis: case report and review of literature
title_sort primary diffuse leptomeningeal melanomatosis in a child with a clinical presentation mimicking meningitis case report and review of literature
topic Melanosis
Pediatric
Diffuse
Leptomeningeal
Meningitis
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s41984-025-00423-8
work_keys_str_mv AT pvsudharsan primarydiffuseleptomeningealmelanomatosisinachildwithaclinicalpresentationmimickingmeningitiscasereportandreviewofliterature
AT jeenajoseph primarydiffuseleptomeningealmelanomatosisinachildwithaclinicalpresentationmimickingmeningitiscasereportandreviewofliterature
AT krishnaprabhuraju primarydiffuseleptomeningealmelanomatosisinachildwithaclinicalpresentationmimickingmeningitiscasereportandreviewofliterature
AT geetachacko primarydiffuseleptomeningealmelanomatosisinachildwithaclinicalpresentationmimickingmeningitiscasereportandreviewofliterature