Optic nerve glioma manifesting as intratumoral hemorrhage in a pregnant woman--case report.

A 33-year-old pregnant woman presented with intratumoral hemorrhage in an astrocytoma of the left optic nerve and chiasm manifesting as poor vision in her left eye. Visual examination found no light perception in the left eye and deteriorated acuity with temporal hemianopsia in the right eye. Computed tomography demonstrated a round high-density mass in the suprasellar region. T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed the center of the mass as mildly hypointense and T2-weighted MR imaging as hypointense. Both T1- and T2-weighted MR imaging showed the rim of the mass as hyperintense. She delivered a healthy baby by cesarean section. A left frontotemporal craniotomy was then performed. Incision of the lateral surface of the left optic nerve revealed clotted blood from the left optic nerve and the left side of the chiasm. No vascular malformation was noted in the hematoma cavity. Histological examination revealed a neoplasm composed of well-differentiated astrocytic cells. No Rosenthal fibers were identified. The patient made an uneventful postoperative recovery. Her right visual acuity returned to normal, but the temporal hemianopsia in the right eye and the blindness in the left eye persisted. Gliomas of the anterior visual pathways are rare, especially in adults. The hemorrhage may have been caused by the hypercoagulable state associated with pregnancy. Optic nerve astrocytic glioma with intratumoral hemorrhage should be considered in the differential diagnosis of suprasellar hematoma.