Spontaneous remission of a third-nerve palsy in meningeal lymphoma

Abstract

We report on a patient with spontaneous remission of a third-nerve palsy who was subsequently found to have meningeal lymphoma. Initial magnetic resonance images (MRI) showed bilateral enhancement of the third nerves. Follow-up MRI 7 months later, without treatment, showed complete resolution. One year after initial presentation, the patient developed multiple lumbosacral radiculopathies and examination of a nerve root biopsy specimen disclosed a B-cell lymphoma. Serial cerebrospinal fluid analyses over the previous year showed occasional atypical cells, later found to resemble closely the biopsy cell type. We conclude that meningeal lymphoma may have a protracted course, with spontaneous remission of both clinical and neuroimaging findings.