[A case of hypervascular meningioma: the effect of preoperative irradiation]

A 30-year-old, right handed male was admitted with headache and mild right-sided motor weakness of one year's duration. A CT scan revealed a mass over the left frontal convexity. A cerebral angiogram showed a huge, hypervascular tumor which was fed by bilateral external carotid and left internal carotid arteries. Because of its size and location, a surgical intervention was considered contraindicated at that time. Instead he was initially irradiated 52 Gy in total dose with 10MV x-rays (Lineac). A CT scan 4 months thereafter revealed remarkable decrease in the size of tumor and reduction of its mass effect. A CT scan 12 months later, however, revealed increase in low density area around mass, although the size of the tumor was much smaller than before. He was readmitted for surgery 14 months after irradiation. An angiogram visualized more reduction of tumor stain and the caliber of feeding arteries. The tumor was totally removed without resultant neurological deficits. A histological diagnosis of the tumor was meningotheliomatous meningioma with well developed vascular networks. Meningioma is usually not a radiosensitive tumor, but there are some reports of cases with hypervascular meningiomas which have been effectively treated with irradiation preoperatively. In the present case, because of a huge vascular tumor in the dominant hemisphere, irradiation was given initial and 14 months thereafter the tumor was totally removed without neurological deficits.