Multinodular and vacuolating neuronal tumor (MVNT): A presumably incidental and asymptomatic case in an intractable epilepsy patient

Abstract

Introduction: Multinodular and vacuolating neuronal tumor (MVNT) had been initially described as an epilepsy-related brain tumor, but recent studies demonstrated it could be found incidentally in non-epilepsy patients. Case report: A 33-year-old woman with intractable post-encephalitis epilepsy presented a cluster of multinodular T2 hyperintensity in the left temporal lobe, which was very similar to the characteristics of MVNT. Long-term video electroencephalogram demonstrated that the habitual seizures were originated from bilateral temporal area and the interictal epileptic discharges were seen multifocally, although the lesions with MVNT appearance were localized in the left temporal lobe. It was presumed that the epilepsy in this patient was due to encephalitis in the past, and the link between the lesions and the epilepsy in this patient seemed weak. Conclusion: Although MVNT had been considered as an epilepsy-related brain tumor, we suggest it is not necessarily preferable to perform surgical resection of MVNT even on patients with epilepsy, unless epileptic foci are highly related to MVNT. Keywords: Post-encephalitis epilepsy, Brain tumor, Long-term video electroencephalogram, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)