[A case of clivus chordoma showing hemorrhage in the posterior fossa].

We are reporting a rare case of clivus chordoma with fatal hemorrhage in the posterior fossa. A 38-year-old woman afflicted with sudden onset of severe headache and vomiting. On neurological examination, she was mildly lethargic. She had slight dysarthria and nystagmus, but no cranial nerve abnormalities. Craniogram revealed erosive changes in the right petrous bone. CT scan showed a massive intracerebellar hemorrhage and isodense mass in the sphenoid sinus, which were not enhanced by contrast medium. She became comatose and died 3 days later. No operation was performed. Autopsy revealed massive hemorrhage in the posterior fossa and yellowish, gelatinous tumor extending from the right clivus to the sphenoid sinus. Histological examination showed a chordoma. This case demonstrates that the hemorrhage associated with brain tumor, especially in posterior fossa, produces a significant sudden elevation of intracranial pressure and leads clinically to a rapid loss of consciousness and death soon after the onset.