Dural cavernous angioma: a preoperative diagnostic challenge.
BACKGROUND
Dural cavernous angiomas are uncommon benign vascular malformations which may present intraoperative difficulties in hemostasis when the diagnosis is not suspected preoperatively. Preoperative diagnosis can be difficult when angiomas show atypical features and share imaging characteristics with other entities.


METHODS
A patient presented with a radiographically aggressive lesion, subsequently identified as a dural cavernous angioma. The lesion is reviewed and its clinical, radiographic, and pathological features are compared with other vascular malformations.


METHODS
A 40-year-old man presented with new onset seizures and an enhancing lesion infiltrating the floor of the right middle cranial fossa. Due to its aggressive radiographic appearance, initial considerations included chondrosarcoma, meningioma or metastasis. Pathological examination, however, revealed the lesion to be a cavernous angioma of dura.


CONCLUSIONS
This uncommon lesion may present a diagnostic challenge with significant intraoperative implications. T2 sequence hyperintensity in a relevant lesion should raise suspicion of an hemangioma. It is important to be aware of this entity and its potential to mimic other entities on radiographic grounds.
Rosso
Dominic
D
Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, London Health Sciences Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
Lee
Donald H
DH
Ferguson
Gary G
GG
Tailor
Chetna
C
Iskander
Sam
S
Hammond
Robert R
RR
D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D035301:Cranial Fossa, Middle; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004388:Dura Mater; D006392:Hemangioma, Cavernous / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed