Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Meningioma

Meningiomas are tumors arising from the outer part of the arachnoid mater in the meninges of the brain or the spinal cord. more...

Home
Diseases
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
Mac Ardle disease
Macroglobulinemia
Macular degeneration
Mad cow disease
Maghazaji syndrome
Mal de debarquement
Malaria
Malignant hyperthermia
Mallory-Weiss syndrome
Malouf syndrome
Mannosidosis
Marburg fever
Marfan syndrome
MASA syndrome
Mast cell disease
Mastigophobia
Mastocytosis
Mastoiditis
MAT deficiency
Maturity onset diabetes...
McArdle disease
McCune-Albright syndrome
Measles
Mediterranean fever
Megaloblastic anemia
MELAS
Meleda Disease
Melioidosis
Melkersson-Rosenthal...
Melophobia
Meniere's disease
Meningioma
Meningitis
Mental retardation
Mercury (element)
Mesothelioma
Metabolic acidosis
Metabolic disorder
Metachondromatosis
Methylmalonic acidemia
Microcephaly
Microphobia
Microphthalmia
Microscopic polyangiitis
Microsporidiosis
Microtia, meatal atresia...
Migraine
Miller-Dieker syndrome
Mitochondrial Diseases
Mitochondrial...
Mitral valve prolapse
Mobius syndrome
MODY syndrome
Moebius syndrome
Molluscum contagiosum
MOMO syndrome
Mondini Dysplasia
Mondor's disease
Monoclonal gammopathy of...
Morquio syndrome
Motor neuron disease
Motorphobia
Moyamoya disease
MPO deficiency
MR
Mucopolysaccharidosis
Mucopolysaccharidosis...
Mullerian agenesis
Multiple chemical...
Multiple endocrine...
Multiple hereditary...
Multiple myeloma
Multiple organ failure
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple system atrophy
Mumps
Muscular dystrophy
Myalgic encephalomyelitis
Myasthenia gravis
Mycetoma
Mycophobia
Mycosis fungoides
Myelitis
Myelodysplasia
Myelodysplastic syndromes
Myelofibrosis
Myeloperoxidase deficiency
Myoadenylate deaminase...
Myocarditis
Myoclonus
Myoglobinuria
Myopathy
Myopia
Myositis
Myositis ossificans
Myxedema
Myxozoa
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Medicines

Meningiomas are slow-growing tumors of middle and old age that are usually dome-shaped, with the base lying on the dura. They are most frequently attached to the dura over the parasagittal or free hemispheric convexities, along the sphenoid ridge, in the olfactory grooves, and based on the falx cerebri. Some display a degree of calcification. The symptoms depend closely on the exact location of the tumor. Hence, a meningioma compressing the frontal lobe can give rise to frontal lobe syndrome.

Treatment

They can be usually surgically resected, and complete cure is possible. Malignant transformation is rare. Depending on the location and nature of the tumor, doctors may use neurosurgery or radiosurgery -- or they may carefully watch it over time, seeing if it grows. There has been some reported success using the drug hydroxyurea for meningiomas, but trials have not shown it to be effective on most cases.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]


An unusual primary intratympanic meningioma
From Ear, Nose & Throat Journal, 9/1/04 by Rafael Rojas

Meningioma is a common intracranial neoplasm with a variety of easily recognizable histomorphologic growth patterns. (1) Primary extracranial or ectopic meningiomas of the middle ear and temporal bone are rare, accounting for only 1% of all meningiomas. (2) The literature is limited to isolated case reports and a few literature reviews. (2-5) The largest study to date included 14 cases. (5) There has been only a single case report in which a primary extracranial meningioma did not have an intracranial component. (5)

Controversies continue to surround the exact origin of middle ear and temporal bone meningiomas. (4) Histologically, meningiomas of the middle ear and temporal bone are identical to their intracranial counterparts. Diagnostic difficulties arise because a meningioma in this location can be misdiagnosed as a paraganglioma, schwannoma, adenoma, carcinoma, or melanoma. (5)

We evaluated a 64-year-old woman who presented with long-standing and progressive left hypoacusis and facial paralysis. Computed tomography (CT) of the temporal bone detected a soft-tissue mass that involved the left epitympanum and mesotympanum and compromised the malleolus of the ossicular chain and the facial nerve (figure 1). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed marked homogenous enhancement of the mass in the middle ear and epitympanum; there was no evidence of connection or extension intracranially (figure 2). Based on the clinical and imaging findings, our impression was that the mass represented a schwannoma of the facial nerve. After surgical excision, we identified the mass as a benign myxoid tumor with reactive bone formation, which is an unusual myxoid variant of meningioma that has been described in the literature as a metaplastic meningioma. (5)

[FIGURE 1-2 OMITTED]

Arachnoid cells line the inner aspect of the arachnoid membrane. Increasing evidence supports the development of meningiomas from arachnoid cap cells, with different mechanisms to suggest how extracranial meningiomas arise. (5) In the middle ear or mastoid portion of the temporal bone, an intracranial meningioma can extend along the path of least resistance through a tegmen tympani to dehiscence, the sulci of the greater and lesser superficial petrosal nerves, the sigmoid sinus plate, the geniculate ganglion area, the internal auditory canal, the lateral semicircular canal, and the perilabyrinthine cell tracts or jugular foramen. (5) In our patient, we saw no evidence that the intratympanic meningioma had any connection with the intracranial structures. However, arachnoidal cells have been identified outside the neural axis, which may give rise to intratympanic or temporal bone meningiomas. (5)

References

(1.) Maniglia AJ. Intra and extracranial meningiomas involving the temporal bone. Laryngoscope 1978;88(Suppl 12):1-58.

(2.) DeWeese DD, Everts EC. Primary intratympanic meningioma. Arch Otolaryngol 1972;96:62-6.

(3.) El-Ghazali TM. Primary intra-tympanic meningioma. J Laryngol Otol 1981;95:849-52.

(4.) Chang CY, Cheung SW, Jackler RK. Meningiomas presenting in the temporal bone: The pathways of spread from an intracranial site of origin. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1998; 119:658-64.

(5.) Thompson LD, Bouffard JP, Sandberg GD, Mena H. Primary ear and temporal bone meningiomas: A clinicopathologic study of 36 cases with a review of the literature. Mod Pathol 2003;16:236-45.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Medquest Communications, LLC
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

Return to Meningioma
Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay