Intratumoral hemorrhage caused by foramen magnum meningioma: A case report

Intratumoral bleeding from a meningioma is very rare. We herein report a case of a foramen magnum meningioma which presented in association with intratumoral bleeding. A 49-year-old female who had been suffering from occipital headache and shoulder pain on neck motion was referred to our hospital to undergo treatment for a tumor located in the posterior fossa. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a foramen magnum meningioma which originated at the lower clivus and extended to the C2 level of the vertebral column. Marked compression and distortion of the medulla oblongata and spinal cord was also noted. Surgery was therefore planned. The patient thereafter suffered from a sudden onset of headache, vomiting and hoarseness, and was transferred to our hospital. A computed tomography (CT) showed intratumoral bleeding, which extended to the subarachnoid space and the fourth ventricle. The tumor, as well as the massive hematoma, were both immediately removed. The histological diagnosis was meningothelial meningioma. We also reviewed the pertinent literature and propose the possible mechanism for such tumor bleeding in this particular location in which the blockage of the cerebrospinal fluid caused a craniovertebral pressure gradient, which thus resulted in intratumoral bleeding.