Leptomeningeal metastasis from melanoma emulating chronic subdural hematoma: a case report

Abstract

Abstract Background Melanoma is a disease in which the patient doesn’t know about the primary lesion, and it has a propensity to metastases to any organ in the human body. Amongst melanoma, leptomeningeal metastasis has the least incidence. Case presentation In this case, we report a 56-year-old lady presenting with headache, recurrent vomiting and slurring of speech which on imaging was suggestive of chronic subdural hematoma which had led to surgical preparation but upon further examination, and radioimaging was found to be leptomeningeal metastasis from melanoma for which systemic therapy was started. Conclusions The concern is vigilance that is much needed in any case presenting in emergency. When the diagnosis is chronic subdural hematoma, it is followed by surgical treatment which is not done for leptomeningeal metastasis.

Keywords

• Leptomeningeal metastases
• Chronic subdural hematoma
• Headache
• Melanoma
• Case report