Complementary role of MRI and positron emission tomography in diagnosing cerebral abscess in a patient with metastatic paraganglioma.

Technological advances have increased the ability of imaging to provide an accurate preoperative diagnosis of an intracranial mass. We present the case of a patient with metastatic paraganglioma, who presented with headache and depressed conscious state. We had chronic tachycardia and low-grade fevers due to increased catecholamine secretion, which limited his clinical assessment. The combination of novel positron emission tomography tracers and advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques was able to provide a confident preoperative diagnosis of a pyogenic intracranial abscess, which was not suspected clinically. This allowed appropriate therapy to be instituted until the patient's clinical state improved sufficiently for neurosurgery to be performed.