Neurocutaneous melanosis and negative fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography

Abstract

Neurocutaneous melanosis is a rare condition characterized by cutaneous melanocytic naevi and the presence of melanocytes in the leptomeninges. It is commonly associated with malignant melanoma formation in the central nervous system (CNS) with poor prognosis. Herewe report a 13-year-old boy with neurocutaneous melanosis who presented with seizure with diffuse CNS malignant melanoma, as demonstrated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) was carried out, but was unable to detect the CNS involvement. So far, this is the first report involving the use of PET in neurocutaneous melanosis and we suggest that MRI is more sensitive than PET with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose in such conditions. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 College of Surgeons of Hong Kong.