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Neurology (Expert Forum)
Cavernous hemangioma of the brain & sleep disorder
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Cavernous hemangioma of the brain & sleep disorder
by Husein__0, Jan 06, 1999 12:00AM
Hi,
I am a 50 year old male suffering from severe chronic fatigue. A C.T. scan, carried out recently to investigate the cause of ringing in my left ear, showed a small legion in the left frontal area of the brain. Subsequent M.R.I. indicated the presence of a "focal lesion measuring 1.5 cm in diameter in the left frontal lobe. The lesion has all the MRI characteristics of a benign cavernous hemangioma".
I was referred to a neurologist but I have to wait 2 months to see him. In the mean time, I am anxious to know the answer to these questions:
1-What are the short-term and long-term effects of that
lesion and what are the available options to deal with it?
2-Does it have any thing to do with my fatigue?
If so, can anything be done to cure the fatigue
that has almost disabled me?
Here is more information about my health. Apart from my fatigue, I have no other major health problems. The doctors think that my fatigue is caused by an excessive daytime sleep disorder. I was sent to a sleep lab 7 years ago. Several multiple sleep latency tests showed a pattern of excessive daytime drowsiness, EEG appeared slow at all times and sustained alert pattern was rarely seen. I slept more than 75 % of the time during these tests.
In the sleep lab, I was also subjected to a divided attention and reaction time study. The results indicated that I did poorly, found it difficult to balance attention between the various sub-tests and that my performance resembled the performance level of some of the head injured subjects previously tested. But I do not recall having any head injury.
I have been on 50 mg Dexedrine a day for 6 years but it has little effect on the fatigue that has significantly affected my life. I appreciate any help you may give me.
Thank you.
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Dear Hussein,
Cavernous hemangiomas are benign tangles of blood vessels in the brain. They may present with seizures or symptoms from a bleeding episode. When they do bleed, cavernomas tend not to be catastrophic. The cavernoma in your left frontal lobe is likely not associated to your sleep problems.
Speak to your surgeon about whether this cavernoma should be treated. It sounds like this one is in a region of the brain where surgery would be safe and curative.
Good luck.
