A meningioma-mimicking tumor caused by Mycobacterium avium complex in an immunocompromised patient

Intracranial tuberculomas manifesting radiologically as typical dural-based "meningiomas" have been reported, most frequently in immunosuppressed pati ents. Their incidence is high in developing countries; they are only sporad ically observed in Western Europe and North America, usually in patients wi th acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). According to published report s, intracranial tuberculomas are always due to infection by Mycobacterium t uberculosis. We report a case of a 50-year-old woman with systemic lupus er ythematosus (SLE) who presented with a dural based, meningioma-like mass in the right frontal region, resulting from a localized infection by Mycobact erium avium complex. Histologically, the mass resembled a meningioma in bei ng composed of spindly cells arranged in a fascicular pattern. Immunohistoc hemical stains showed this tumor to consist of a large aggregate of AFB-lad en histiocytes without caseating necrosis or multinucleated giant cells.