Gliomatosis peritonei with bilateral ovarian teratomas: A report of two cases

Oncol Lett. 2016 Sep;12(3):2078-2080. doi: 10.3892/ol.2016.4866. Epub 2016 Jul 15.

Abstract

Gliomatosis peritonei (GP) is characterized by the presence of benign, mature neuroglial implants throughout the peritoneum and is typically accompanied by mature or immature ovarian teratomas. GP is a condition that has only been described relatively recently, with ~100 cases reported in the English literature. The majority of reported cases have focused on the pathology and clinical treatment of the disease; radiological findings are distinct, but the discussion of this is scarce in the literature. The current study presents two cases of GP with bilateral ovarian teratomas and provides a review of the relevant literature, with particular emphasis on the radiological differential diagnosis. The present study reinforces previously reported observations from imaging analysis and suggests that radiological investigation alone cannot sufficiently aid the differentiation of benign glial deposits from diffuse peritoneal malignant seeding. However, radiologists should be familiar with this rare condition in order to provide an accurate diagnosis, particularly in ovarian tumor staging, which may markedly impact the administered treatment. It is recommended that doctors undertake long-term follow-ups in patients presenting with GP due to the potential for malignant transformation.

Keywords: Pseudo-Meigs' syndrome; computed tomography; gliomatosis peritonei; ovarian teratoma; peritoneal dissemination.