Malacoplakia of the cranium and cerebrum in a human immunodeficiency virus–infected man

Abstract

✓Malacoplakia is a rare chronic inflammatory disease associated with infection and immunosuppression, and very few occurrences have been reported in the cerebrum. The authors describe the case of a 41-year-old man with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection who presented with a very aggressive malacoplakia lesion that had extended through the scalp, temporalis muscle, skull bone, and deep through the dura mater into the superior sagittal sinus and adjacent brain. Pathological examination revealed sheets of histiocytes invading these structures, and macrophages containing numerous round bodies known as Michaelis–Guttmann bodies, pathognomic for malacoplakia. Because of the rarity of this phenomenon, appropriate treatment and management of malacoplakia are speculative. A complete resection of the lesion, antibiotic therapy, and treatment of his underlying HIV infection had a salutary effect, with the patient faring well more than 9 months postoperatively.