Primary Benign Intraosseous Meningioma on (18)F-FDG PET/CT Mimicking Malignancy

Ho Seong Kim1, Seok Hwi Kim2, Hyung Jin Kim3

  • 1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu Seoul, 135-710 Republic of Korea.

Insights

Primary benign intraosseous meningioma can mimic cancer. This sphenoid bone tumor showed high (18)F-FDG uptake on PET/CT, a common sign of malignancy, but was confirmed as benign.

Area of Science:

  • Neuro-oncology
  • Radiology
  • Pathology

Background:

  • Intraosseous meningiomas are rare primary bone tumors.
  • Meningiomas typically occur in the skull or spine, not within bone.
  • Distinguishing benign from malignant bone lesions can be challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report a rare case of primary benign intraosseous meningioma.
  • To highlight its potential to mimic malignancy on imaging.
  • To discuss the role of (18)F-FDG PET/CT in evaluating such lesions.

Main Methods:

  • Case presentation of a 44-year-old female with proptosis and headache.
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to characterize the sphenoid bone mass.
  • (18)F-FDG Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) for metabolic assessment.
  • Surgical resection and histopathological examination.

Main Results:

  • MRI revealed a destructive, enhancing soft tissue mass in the sphenoid bone, suspicious for malignancy.
  • (18)F-FDG PET/CT demonstrated a hypermetabolic mass with an SUVmax of 9.1, indicating high metabolic activity.
  • Pathology confirmed a WHO grade I transitional meningioma, a benign tumor.

Conclusions:

  • Primary benign intraosseous meningioma can present with imaging features suggestive of malignancy.
  • High (18)F-FDG uptake in intraosseous meningioma may mimic malignant tumors.
  • Histopathological diagnosis remains crucial for definitive characterization.

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