Gastrointestinal stromal tumor in a patient with neurofibromatosis: Abscess formation in the tumor leading to bacteremia and seizure

Abstract

A 66-year-old woman with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) was brought to the emergency room with seizures and high-grade fever. Seizure in adult NF1 patients raises concern for intracranial lesions. However, neurological examination and central nervous system imaging failed to detect any causative intracranial lesions for her seizure. Gram-positive cocci, Streptococcus anginosus, were detected by blood cultures. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a well-defined round mass 7 cm in diameter, which was found to be a small intestinal gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) containing an abscess. There was fistula formation between the intestinal lumen and the abscess, in which there were numerous Gram-positive cocci. The seizure may have been caused by hypoosmolality (hyponatremia and hypoproteinemia), which may result from decreased food intake associated with high-grade fever and general malaise. In this case GIST originating from the small intestine was invaded by S. anginosus through a fistula, leading to abscess formation, bacteremia, high-grade fever, and seizure, which was the first clinical manifestation. © 2010.