Malignant sphenoid wing meningioma in childhood

Abstract

Paediatric cranial meningiomas are uncommon, constituting 4% of all intracranial tumours in early childhood to adolescent. They frequently show cellular atypia and anaplasia. Paediatric meningiomas arising from the sphenoid wing, although possessing characteristic imaging features, can involve other skull base structures making surgical excision difficult. Prognosis is therefore not as favourable as for lesions at other cerebral convexities. The computed tomographic and histopathological findings, together with the clinical course of a sphenoid wing meningioma that turned malignant, in a 5-year-old boy are presented. © 2012 Hong Kong College of Radiologists.