[Meningioma of the anterior visual pathways. Epidemiology and clinical symptoms]

Meningiomas are found incidentally or because of characteristic but non-specific symptoms. In Germany approximately 1,000 new diseases in the area of the anterior visual pathways are expected per year. Around one quarter of all incidentally diagnosed meningiomas eventually need treatment. The typical patient is a female around the age of 50 years as more than 80 % of the patients are women. The typical presenting symptom is visual acuity loss followed by diplopia, visual field defects and proptosis are experienced in about 10 %. In primary optic nerve meningiomas the optic disc is swollen or atrophic, rarely normal and in meningiomas invading the optic nerve from another origin the optic disc is either normal or atrophic and rarely swollen.