HYPEROSTOSIS IN MENINGIOMAS - MR FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT MENINGIOMA OF THE SPHENOID WINGS

PURPOSE: We used MR imaging to analyze retrospectively the pattern of hyperostosis occurring concomitantly with recurrent sphenoid wing meni ngiomas. METHODS: Bone involvement was compared in 12 corresponding CT and MR studies of 10 female patients with sphenoid wing meningiomas r ecurrence after earlier surgical treatment. Four of these had histolog ically confirmed meningiomatous infiltration of the bone. RESULTS: All patients had CT findings of localized hyperostosis of parts of the sp henoid wings. MR revealed inhomogenous areas of slightly increased sig nal intensity in hyperostotic bone on T2-, proton density- and T1-weig hted sequences. In nine of 10 patients, segments of the hyperostotic b one showed different degrees of gadolinium enhancement. CONCLUSIONS: B ecause earlier studies have revealed high incidences of meningiomatous bone infiltration in sphenoid wing meningiomas, and because infiltrat ion was confirmed in four of our patients, we postulate that the gadol inium enhancement in the area of hyperostosis may be related to mening iomatous bone infiltration.