Death by Subdural Hematoma with Metastatic Carcinoma of Unknown Origin: An Autopsy Case Report.

Lee, Hyun Jung; Kim, Kyung Bin; Park, Jong Hyeok; Ha, Hongil

doi:2014.38.2.83

Korean J Leg Med > Volume 38(2); 2014 > Article

Case Report

Korean Journal of Legal Medicine 2014;38(2):83-87.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7580/kjlm.2014.38.2.83 Published online May 31, 2014.

Death by Subdural Hematoma with Metastatic Carcinoma of Unknown Origin: An Autopsy Case Report.

Hyun Jung Lee, Kyung Bin Kim, Jong Hyeok Park, Hongil Ha

¹Department of Pathology, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
²Department of Pathology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnam, Korea.
³Division of Forensic Medicine, Busan Institute, National Forensic Service, Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnam, Korea. sanchee@korea.kr

Abstract

Dural metastasis associated with chronic subdural hematoma is very rare in patients with malignant neoplasms; it may be difficult to distinguish malignant neoplasms from chronic subdural hematoma. Chronic subdural hematoma is usually a late manifestation of malignant tumors, which contributes to the severity of the prognosis. The scans obtained by using magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography may be misleading when a subdural hematoma masks the underlying tumor. Herein, we report a case of a subdural hematoma with dural metastasis of unknown origin in a 45-year-old woman; however, the neoplasm was not detected until autopsy.

Key Words: Chronic subdural hematoma, Metastasis, Adenocarcinoma, Autopsy