Scrape cytology of meningioangiomatosis: a report of two cases with diagnostic cytologic features.
BACKGROUND
Meningioangiomatosis is a rare, probably hamartomatous condition characterized by nonneoplastic intracortical proliferation of meningothelial cells, capillaries and fibroblasts. The lesion may mimic a tumor both clinically and radiologically. We present two cases of the entity, including its cytologic features.


METHODS
A 71-year-old man presented with an eight-month history of headache, change in vision, loss of depth perception and unsteady gait. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an infiltrative lesion of the left occipital lobe, diffuse in nature. Cytologic smears prepared at the time of intraoperative consultation showed numerous thin-walled capillaries together with bland spindle cells. Occasional large cells with prominent nucleoli were also present. Frozen section confirmed the presence of linear, small capillaries surrounded by fibroblasts and meningothelial cells, consistent with meningioangiomatosis. The second case was a 3-year-old girl who presented with a one-day history of seizure, vomiting, fever and perioral cyanosis. MRI revealed an enhancing lesion in a temporal lobe of the cerebrum. The patient underwent excision of the lesion. Intraoperative cytology showed numerous meningothelial whorls together with neurons and occasional capillaries. Both patients were well, one after three months and the other after six.


CONCLUSIONS
Meningioangiomatosis is a lesion characterized by linear capillaries, meningothelial cells and neurons, some exhibiting nuclear atypia. The combination can lead to an erroneous diagnosis of more common conditions, such as meningioma (with intracortical extension) and anaplastic astrocytoma. Contrary to these more sinister diagnoses, meningioangiomatosis is a completely benign, presumably hamartomatous entity.
Savargaonkar
P
P
Department of Pathology, Long Island Jewish Hospital, Albert Einstein School of Medicine, New Hyde Park, New York 11040, USA.
Bhuiya
T
T
Valderrama
E
E
Farmer
P
P
D000368:Aged; D000798:Angiomatosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000473:pathology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003581:Cytodiagnosis / Q000379:methods; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D008578:Meninges / Q000473:pathology*; D008579:Meningioma / Q000473:pathology