title: Fourth ventricle meningiomas: a rare entity.
abstract: Fourth ventricle meningiomas (FVMs) are rare, often misdiagnosed, lesions. To the best of our knowledge, 47 cases have been reported in the literature: we describe our series of three cases treated at our Institution, focusing on some diagnostic tips and intraoperative features of these tumours. Our three patients have a history of headache. Gait disturbances, vomiting and/or diplopia complicated the clinical picture before the referral at our Department. The operations were uneventful, and the patients fully recovered from neurological symptoms. They are free of recurrence at a median follow-up of 19 years. FVMs are rare lesions, which are difficult to differentiate preoperatively from the much more common ependymomas. A preoperative distinction would be extremely advantageous: indeed, although both tumours share similar radiological and clinical patterns, they clearly differ as to surgical difficulty and outcome. In fact, meningiomas are comparatively easier to remove, granting better clinical results.
authors.affiliation: DPT of Neurological Sciences-Neurosurgery, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. angelopichierri@gmail.com
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pichierri
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.forename: Carlotta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morselli
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Delfini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004172:Diplopia / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D020546:Fourth Ventricle; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D008579:Meningioma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D035583:Rare Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult