A 46-year-old woman was hospitalized in October, 1982 because of double vision and hypesthesia in the left forehead. Computed tomography (CT) and angiography demonstrated a round, well demarcated, vascular tumor in Meckel's cave. A left temporal craniotomy was performed, but complete removal of the tumor was not feasible because of its tight adherence to the cavernous sinus. The histological diagnosis was angioblastic meningioma. The patient was discharged with left facial hypesthesia and abducens palsy. She was readmitted in July of 1983 because of oculomotor palsy, headache, nausea, and progressive worsening of persisting deficits. CT and angiography revealed an notable increase in the tumor's size. After the administration of steroids, all of her symptoms except oculomotor palsy and facial hypesthesia disappeared. Left abducens palsy recurred in August of 1984, and CT scans and angiograms confirmed that the tumor had enlarged. Steroid administration resulted in complete resolution of the abducens palsy. For 3 years thereafter, the patient's neurological status was unchanged. In April, 1987, CT and angiography demonstrated complete disappearance of the tumor, and the patient is now well, with only facial hypesthesia. The most reasonable explanation for this unusual occurrence is thrombotic occlusion of the vessels supplying the tumor.
