Abstract
Two cases of intracranial chondrosarcoma are being reported.
A 27-year-old female had initial symptoms of blurred vision and slight proptosis on the left. CT scan disclosed an isodense to slightly high dense mass in the left ethmoid sinus which extended to the orbit, maxillary sinus, and anterior cranial fossa. The mass showed marked contrast enhancement. Angiograms showed evidence of an extracerebral mass in the anterior cranial fossa, and irregularly dilated tumor vessels. No apparent tumor stain was demonstrated. The mass was totally extirpated and the histological diagnosis was that of a Grade 1 chondrosarcoma (histological grading after Mankin et al.).
A 44-year-old male had been complaining of.a right orbital pain for years. Skull radiograms and CT scan demonstrated a mottled calcification in the right middle cranial fossa. CT scan revealed no contrast enhancement. Angiograms showed an avascular mass and no abnormal vascularity. The tumor was totally removed and the histological diagnosis was that of a Grade 1 chondrosarcoma.
Chondrosarcomas may be infiltrative, can recur and may sometimes give rise to distant metastasis. It is well known that there is considerable variation in the potential for recurrence and metastasis, and that there is no way of predicting the biological behaviour of these tumors on the basis of a histological examination.
CT scan, coupled with contrast enhancement, clearly delineates the extent of the tumor, displacement and distortion of the brain, and other surrounding tissues. Angiography may still be an important method of choice; chondrosarcomas are not always avascular and most tumors, which showed angiographically visible tumor vessels and stain, carried a poor prognosis.
