Arachnoiditis presenting as a cerebello-pontine angle tumour

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Neurosurgery
• Pathology

Background:

• Arachnoiditis is a condition involving inflammation and scarring of the arachnoid mater.
• The cerebellopontine angle is a critical anatomical region in the brainstem.

Observation:

• Two distinct cases are presented where arachnoiditis manifested radiologically and clinically as tumors.
• These presentations occurred in the cerebellopontine angle region.

Findings:

• The study highlights the diagnostic challenge posed by arachnoiditis mimicking cerebellopontine angle tumors.
• Etiological factors contributing to arachnoiditis in these cases are briefly explored.

Implications:

• Recognizing arachnoiditis as a differential diagnosis for cerebellopontine angle masses is crucial.
• This underscores the importance of considering inflammatory conditions in neurosurgical oncology evaluations.