Radiologic Features of Primary Intracranial Myxomas from the Skull Base: 14 Case Reports and Literature Review

BACKGROUND: Primary intracranial myxomas (PIMs) are extremely rare benign tumors that arise from the skull base. The aim of this study was to characterize the radiologic manifestation of PIMs in a series of 14 cases. METHODS: We reviewed the imaging and clinical data of 14 patients with pathologically proven PIMs. Assessed features of lesions include shape, margin, bony destruction, attenuation and/or signal intensity, and pattern of enhancement. RESULTS: Extremely high-density foci indicating calcification or bony debris within the tumors were observed in 5 cases on computed tomography images. On magnetic resonance images, the tumors demonstrated heterogeneous hypointensity on T1-weighted images (T1WI) and hyperintensity on T2-weighted images (T2WI). A honeycomb pattern on enhanced T1WIs was observed in 63.6% (7/11) of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Radiologic findings of PIMs include calcified foci or bone debris on computed tomography, heterogeneous hypointensity on T1WI and predominantly hyperintensity on T2WI, and honeycomb appearance on enhanced T1WI.