Pilocytic astrocytoma with spontaneous intracranial hemorrhages in an elderly adult

Pilocytic astrocytomas are relatively uncommon tumors found predominately in the pediatric population. Reports of these tumors are extremely rare in the elderly. This is a report of a 75-year-old man presenting with two spontaneous intracranial hemorrhages and subsequent resection of a pilocytic astrocytoma. The history, evaluation, radiographic features, histopathology, rationale for surgery and potential mechanism of hemorrhage are discussed. A review of the literature summarizes the current field of knowledge of adult pilocytic astrocytomas in the setting of intracranial hemorrhage. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.