Radiologic Features of Primary Intracranial Myxomas from the Skull Base: 14 Case Reports and Literature Review.

Abstract

Primary intracranial myxomas (PIMs) are extremely rare benign tumors that arise from the skull base. The aim of this study was to characterize the radiologic manifestation of PIMs in a series of 14 cases. We reviewed the imaging and clinical data of 14 patients with pathologically proven PIMs. Assessed features of lesions include shape, margin, bony destruction, attenuation and/or signal intensity, and pattern of enhancement. Extremely high-density foci indicating calcification or bony debris within the tumors were observed in 5 cases on computed tomography images. On magnetic resonance images, the tumors demonstrated heterogeneous hypointensity on T1-weighted images (T1WI) and hyperintensity on T2-weighted images (T2WI). A honeycomb pattern on enhanced T1WIs was observed in 63.6% (7/11) of the cases. Radiologic findings of PIMs include calcified foci or bone debris on computed tomography, heterogeneous hypointensity on T1WI and predominantly hyperintensity on T2WI, and honeycomb appearance on enhanced T1WI.