[Karyometric studies on a case of recurrent and metastasizing meningioma]

An unusual case of a recurrent and metastasizing meningioma in a 59-year-old female patient is reported. 11 years before death the woman had undergone craniotomy. The necropsy revealed a recurrent intracranial tumor and a solitary metastasis in the adrenal gland. Karyometric investigations were carried out on Feulgen-stained microscopic slides using an image processing system described previously. The frequency distributions and correlation diagrams of parameters for nuclear size and shape did not show any significant difference between the intracranial tumor and adrenal metastasis. There is no karyometric or visual evidence for dedifferentiation in the metastasis. The findings emphasize the role of craniotomy in extracranial dissemination of meningiomas.