Elliot Pressman1, David Penn2, Nirav J Patel3. 1. Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA. 2. Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. 3. Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Electronic address: npatel40@bwh.harvard.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Meningiomas are the most common benign intracranial tumor. Although meningiomas are slow growing and potentially highly vascularized, hemorrhage of these tumors is rare. We propose 2 novel modifiable risk factors that may provoke intratumoral hemorrhage of a World Health Organization grade I meningioma. CASE DESCRIPTION: We outline the clinical presentation of a 56-year-old female with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage with intraventricular extension in a coma from a petroclival meningioma taking escitalopram for depression and high-dose estrogen replacement therapy for menopause. Pathology confirmed the diagnosis of World Health Organization grade I meningioma. Postoperatively, the patient declined neurologically and developed vasospasm of the basilar artery, as well as seizures, fever, and new-onset atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSIONS: Spontaneous hemorrhage of meningiomas is a rare event. Known risk factors are age older than 70 or younger than 30; intraventricular or convexity location; malignant, fibrous, or angioblastic histopathology; and presence of hypertension, anticoagulation therapy, and traumatic brain injury. We propose 2 new risk factors to be considered that may predispose to hemorrhage of a meningioma: serotonin-modulating therapy and high-dose estrogen-replacement.
BACKGROUND: Meningiomas are the most common benign intracranial tumor. Although meningiomas are slow growing and potentially highly vascularized, hemorrhage of these tumors is rare. We propose 2 novel modifiable risk factors that may provoke intratumoral hemorrhage of a World Health Organization grade I meningioma. CASE DESCRIPTION: We outline the clinical presentation of a 56-year-old female with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage with intraventricular extension in a coma from a petroclival meningioma taking escitalopram for depression and high-dose estrogen replacement therapy for menopause. Pathology confirmed the diagnosis of World Health Organization grade I meningioma. Postoperatively, the patient declined neurologically and developed vasospasm of the basilar artery, as well as seizures, fever, and new-onset atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSIONS: Spontaneous hemorrhage of meningiomas is a rare event. Known risk factors are age older than 70 or younger than 30; intraventricular or convexity location; malignant, fibrous, or angioblastic histopathology; and presence of hypertension, anticoagulation therapy, and traumatic brain injury. We propose 2 new risk factors to be considered that may predispose to hemorrhage of a meningioma: serotonin-modulating therapy and high-dose estrogen-replacement.