VACUOLATED MENINGIOMA - LIGHT AND ELECTRON-MICROSCOPIC STUDY

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 27  (4) , 557-566
Abstract
Two unusual cases of human meningioma with extensive vacuolization were studied by light microscopy and EM. There were 2 kinds of vacuoles in the tumor cells which had the characteristic ultrastructure of meningioma also. The smaller intracytoplasmic vacuoles were lipid droplets, while the larger, more prominent vacuoles were extracellular spaces probably containing plasmatic fluid. The tumor cells were stellate with extremely thin and long cytoplasmic processes having desmosome junctions and forming cavernous intercellular spaces, some of which contained collagen fibers and fibrils. Although the xanthomatous change is well known, the latter features provide a reasonable interpretation for the histology of the present tumors and fat-negative vacuoles in the ordinary meningiomas. The picture may be a recapitulation of the subarachnoid structure. Recognition of this type of meningioma is important especially in frozen section diagnosis not to misinterpret the tumor as liposarcoma, chordoma or metastatic adenocarcinoma.