Detection of a pineoblastoma with large central cyst in a young child.

THE PATIENT: We present the very rare case of a pineoblastoma with large central cyst in a 7-year-old boy who presented with a short history of gradually worsening headache and upward gaze palsy. IMAGING INVESTIGATIONS: On CT and MRI studies, it was seen as a peripherally calcified, irregularly shaped mass with heterogeneous low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and ringed enhancement after gadolinium administration; there was homogeneous high signal intensity on T1-weighted images. DISCUSSION: We discuss differential diagnosis for several types of cystic tumors in the pineal region, including pineoblastomas.