8th August 2024

Overview of space-occupying lesions

Space-occupying lesions within the central nervous system can be diagnosed following presentation with either focal or generalised neurological features. The most common presenting feature is headache, although in 25% of patients, seizures are the initial presentation. Other classic findings include nausea and vomiting, sensory changes, aphasia, focal weakness, depressed level of consciousness, or cognitive and behavioural changes.

There are a number of possible aetiologies of space-occupying lesions, and these are broadly summarised below.