Chiasmal cavernoma: a rare cause of acute visual loss improved by prompt surgery.

We report a 16-year-old healthy boy who presented with sudden loss of vision in both eyes, accompanied by a mild headache. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a chiasmal apoplexy. An urgent craniotomy revealed a cavernous malformation of the chiasm, which was evacuated. There was a subsequent dramatic improvement in bilateral visual acuity and visual field defects. This case report emphasizes the importance of rapid diagnosis and surgery of an anterior visual pathway cavernous malformation. (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.