Unusual tonsillar herniation in meningeal melanocytoma: a case report

Meningeal melanocytoma is a primary melanocytic neoplasm with certain MR and immunohistochemical characteristics worthy to note. In a 38-year-old man with a complaint of headache for a couple of years and recently added nausea, vomiting, diplopia, progressive visual blurring and hearing loss, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was remarkable for T1 shortening of leptomeninges and certain nodules in precontrast study. Subsequent contrast-enhanced MR imaging of the brain and spine revealed enhancement in the basal cisterns extending throughout the spinal canal. Contrast-enhanced MRI revealed diffuse enhancement in the basal cisterns extending throughout the spinal canal. Immunohistochemical analysis on one of the intraspinal nodules proposed leptomeningeal melanocytoma. The characteristic shortening of T1 and T2 relaxation times in MRI as a result of the paramagnetic stable free radicals that exist within melanin, often suggests a diagnosis of a melanocytic leptomeningeal process. Moreover, there are unique immunohistochemical characteristics for these varied lesions. In appropriate clinical settings, certain radiologic findings, especially both T1 and T2 shortening in nodular CNS lesions should propose meningeal melanocytoma.