Background: Intracranial hemorrhage in central nervous system lymphoma is extremely rare. T2*-weighted gradient-echo magnetic resonance imaging is of particularly use in detecting silent hemorrhage as hypointense signals due to the deposition of paramagnetic hemosiderin or mineralization. Multifocal hemosiderin depositions caused by chronic silent hemorrhage have not yet been identified in patients with central nervous system involvement of systemic lymphoma. We present an unexpected radiographic feature on T2*-weighted gradient-echo magnetic resonance imaging in a patient with central nervous system involvement of pathologically confirmed systemic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Case presentation: A 56-year-old woman presented with lower extremities weakness and progressive cognitive decline for four months. Conventional brain magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated multiple lesions with hypointensities on T1-weighted images and hyperintensities on T2-weighted images and fluid attenuated inversion recovery in both hemispheres. She was then transferred to our hospital.
Conclusion: This is the first report of pathologically confirmed case of CNS involvement of systemic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with multifocal silent hemosiderin depositions detected by T2*-weighted gradient-echo magnetic resonance imaging. Even though uncommon, our report offers an insight that CNS lymphoma could present with multifocal silent hemosiderin depositions on T2*-weighted gradient-echo magnetic resonance imaging. Further studies were expected for exploring the association between this radiologic feature and systemic lymphoma and their underlying mechanisms.