Hemorrhage within brain tumors in association with long air travel.

Two cases of hemorrhage within brain tumors after air travel are described. The hemorrhages occurred in a meningotheliomatous meningioma and in a melanoma metastasis after the patients had taken transatlantic flights lasting more than seven hours. The literature concerning bleeding associated with brain tumors is reviewed, and possible mechanisms by which air travel may have precipitated these hemorrhages, based on known physiological changes that occur in-flight, are discussed.