Osteoblastic Intraspinal Meningioma: A Case Report

Abstract

A case of osteoblastic intra-spinal meningioma is reported. A 71-year-old woman presented with severe low back pain. Plain roentgenogram of the lumber spine showed sclerotic lesion in the spinal canal at the level of the thoracolumbar transitional zone. CAT scan demonstrated high density area at the lesion. MR images showed a round mass lesion, by which the spinal cord was compressed laterally. There was no muscle atrophy and sensory disturbance. Neither bladder nor rectal dysfunction was seen. The lesion was surgically removed. Histological examination showed numerous psammoma bodies and mature bone which consisted of bone marrow and spicules, which was consistent with osteoblastic meningioma. The patients postoperative course was not problematic. Calcification such as psammoma body is sometimes found especially in spinal cord meningioma but ossification of the meningeal tumor is rarely observed. There are several theories of ossification in intraspinal meningiomas. The ossification in this case was probably a metaplasia of the stroma cells to the osteoblasts.