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. 1998;8(4):233–236. doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1058190

Medulloblastoma Presenting with Tentorial “Dural-Tail” Sign

Is the “Dural-Tail” Sign Specific for Meningioma?

Paul W Detwiler, Jeffrey S Henn, Randall W Porter, Michael T Lawton, William L White, Robert F Spetzler
PMCID: PMC1656697  PMID: 17171073

Abstract

To the best of our knowledge, the association of a medulloblastoma with a “dural-tail” sign has not been previously reported. A 24-year-old male developed severe headaches and right-sided dysmetria that worsened over 1 month. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the brain demonstrated a heterogeneously enhancing lesion in the posterior fossa. The lesion appeared to be tentortally-based and exhibited a characteristic “dural-tail” sign, which is considered pathognothonic for meningioma. Cerebellar tonsil ectopia and hydrocephalus were also present. The presumptive diagnosis of tentorial meningioma was made. The lesion was resected by a posterior fossa approach. At surgery, the appearance of the tumor was inconsistent with the diagnosis of meningioma, and histopathologic evaluation yielded the diagnosis of medulloblastonia. This case and the literature demonstrate that malignant tumors can present with the characteristic MR imaging appearance of a meningioma. This possibility must be considered when treatment is planned, especially if a nonoperative course is favored.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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