POLYCYTHEMIA WITH PAPILLEDEMA AND INFRATENTORIAL VASCULAR TUMORS

Abstract

Of 106 patients with infratentorial vascular tumors seen at the Mayo Clinic, 38 (36%) had hemoglobin values greater than 15 g/100 ml of blood. Eleven of these patients had hemoglobin values greater than 18 g; papilledema was present in 10 of these 11 patients. Both cystic and solid tumors were found. In patients with increased hemoglobin and papilledema, the possibility of a vascular tumor in the posterior fossa must be excluded before the papilledema is attributed to the polycythemia alone. The incidence of absolute polycythemia secondary to cerebellar vascular tumors must be relatively rare. Four patients in this study had blood-volume determinations; one had absolute secondary polycythemia, one had a borderline absolute secondary polycythemia, and two had relative polycythemia. The necessity of studies of blood volume in the accurate documentation of these cases is stressed, since these tumors are an adequate cause of relative polycythemia.