Table 1.

Features of the most common brain tumors that present with a cyst with mural nodule appearance

Tumor types	WHO	Peak age (years)	Features	Cyst
Pilocytic astrocytoma	I	5–15	Most common in the cerebellar hemispheres. Other typical location is optic nerve/chiasm/tract	The cyst content is iso- to slightly hyperintense to CSF. The cyst wall occasionally enhances
Hemangioblastoma	I	40–60	Most common in the posterior fossa. Flow voids visible in T1 and T2 in the nodular portion. The lesion abuts the pia	The cyst is slightly hyperintense in T1 compared with CSF The enhancement of the wall of the cyst is rarely seen in hemangioblastoma
Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma	II	10–30	Supratentorial superficial cortical mass. Usually in the temporal lobe	Cystic portion is isointense to CSF. Enhancement of adjacent meninges, with an appearance of dural tail
Ganglioglioma	I–II	10–20	Cortically based mass in a child/young adult with temporal lobe epilepsy. Calcifications inside the lesion are a common finding	The cyst often expands the cortex
Desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma	I	1–2	Large cyst with cortical-based enhancing tumor. Enhancement of adjacent pia and reactive dural thickening are specific findings	On T1 the hypointense cyst may contain septae while the nodule is heterogeneous