A CASE REPORT: A RARE CASE, INTRACRANIAL LIPOMA WHICH CAN BE CONFUSED AS PNEUMOCEPHALUS

Abstract

Objective: We described a patient admitted with head trauma to the emergency diagnosed as incidental  intracranial lipoma which can be confused as pneumocephalus.We performed this case report in order to draw attention of emergency medicine physicians because this rare radiological view may cause accidental diagnosis of pneumocephalus in a head trauma patient.

Case: A 53-year-old male patient was brought to our emergency department with emergency medical services after  an in-car traffic accident.Patient GKS was 15 and his neurological examination was intact when he arrived atemergency. He had nausea and vomited once before he arrived at thehospital. CT was taken to avoid intracranial hemorrhage and other important diagnoses. We had seen luminal lesions resembling air images in millimetric dimensions in left ambien and quadrigeminal cisterna, both lateral ventricular frontal horns and posterior corpus in his cranial CT.The patient was referred to brain surgeon and hospitalized with a diagnosis of pneumocephalus developing secondarily due to head trauma.After hospitalization, an MRI was taken. MRI was reported as anintracranial lipoma. The patient was discharged with suggestions.

Conclusion: Intracranial lipoma is usually asymptomatic and benign.Sometimes the images on the cranial CT’s  of trauma patients can be confusing. Emergency medicine physicians should keep in mind  ICL as a diagnosis in case of incompatibility with the radiological findings and clinical status of the patient.