Combined Surgical Approach to Intracranial and Extracranial Hemangiopericytoma: Case Report and Literature Review

Hemangiopericytoma (HPC) is a rare vascular tumor that was first described in 1942 and whose classification and treatment continue to develop. The proper classification for HPC is still under discussion, being considered a solitary fibrous tumor (SFT), classified as an aggressive biological form. The World Health Organization (WHO) has considered it to be part of extrapleural solitary fibrous tumors, however, neuropathologists still consider it to be an HPC when it is found in the central nervous system. We present a case of a patient with HPC of complex localization in the infratemporal fossa and middle floor of the skull base, which confirmed the diagnosis of HPC after resection by the craniofacial approach. Hemangiopericytomas are tumors that can present along with distant metastasis in 23% of cases even after resection. Surgery is the therapeutic basis; however, the still-controversial pathological classification of these vascular tumors and their uncertain biological behavior are the main reasons the ideal treatment continues to be investigated.