A rare case of extracranial meningioma in parapharyngeal space presented as a neck mass

Abstract

BackgroundMeningiomas are the most common intracranial tumor, but rarely, they can develop extracranially, usually in the neck. There are very few cases of parapharyngeal meningioma reported in literature and little is known about their biological behavior and operative management. We present a patient with a primary parapharyngeal meningioma that presented as an anterior neck mass.Case presentationThe patient is a 55-year-old female who presented with neck mass. A CT scan and MRI revealed a large, well defined, mildly enhancing soft tissue mass located in the right carotid sheath extended from the level of the thyroid gland into the skull base jugular foramen superiorly. Cervical exploration with partial excision of the mass was performed. Histological examination revealed meningiothelial cells with intranuclear inclusions, arranged in a syncytial pattern. Mutiple psamoma bodies these findings are consistent with the diagnosis of meningioma.ConclusionExtracranial meningiomas are quite rare. The diagnosis of these types of tumors is challenging due to the non specific nature of the symptoms. The anatomic complexity of the region of parapharyngeal space also makes their detection difficult. Imaging modalities can aid in the diagnosis, but pathological examinations are essential in confirming a definite diagnosis.

Meningioma extradural de oído medio: Reporte de un caso y revisión de la literatura

“…Los meningiomas extracraneales son tumores bas tante raros constituyendo el 0,9% al 2% de todos los meningiomas 1,4 . En general son de comportamiento benigno (80% de los casos) y debido a su baja prevalencia y síntomas poco característicos son a menudo diagnosticados por fortuna.…”

“…Por lo tanto, una vez establecido el diagnóstico de meningioma, la presencia de un meningioma del tubo neural o la extensión de un meningioma extracraneal primario debe ser excluida. El 20% de los tumores intracraneales presentan un componente extracraneal 1,2 .…”

“…Los meningiomas son los tumores no gliales más comunes del sistema nervioso central constituyendo el 24%-30% de los tumores intracraneales y el 25% de los tumores de la médula espinal 1 . Se originan de células de la aracnoides y en general presentan un comportamiento benigno 2 .…”

“…Se originan de células de la aracnoides y en general presentan un comportamiento benigno 2 . Según su ubicación se han descrito dos formas de meningiomas: los meningiomas intracraneales que son los más comunes y los meningiomas extracraneales que son más raros y que se subclasifican en meningiomas extracraneales primarios o extradurales y en meningiomas extracraneales secundarios 1 . Además, la Organización Mundial de la Salud los ha clasificado en tres grados según su nivel de malignidad: grado I o benigno, grado II o atípico y grado III o anaplásico.…”

A rare case of jugular foramen meningioma

“…1 Posterior fossa meningiomas constitute 10% of all intracranial meningiomas and their locations include the cerebellar convexity, lateral tentorium, cerebellopontine (CP) angle, jugular foramen, petroclival surface, and foramen magnum. 2 Jugular foramen meningiomas (JFM) are exceptionally rare with only a few cases reported in the literature.…”