Extracranial meningioma in paranasal sinuses. A case presentation and literature review

Abstract

Meningiomas are the most common primary non-glial intracranial neoplasms of the central nervous system, predominantly located extra axially, derived from meningothelial cells. Extracranial, non-dural, or ectopic meningiomas are uncommon entities, with few cases reported in the literature, whose final diagnosis is achieved histopathologically. This report presents the clinical case of a female patient with recurrent headache and chronic rhinorrhea, whose imaging findings initially suggested a nasal polyp as the primary differential diagnosis. However, due to the lesion’s inherent characteristics and its unusual location, an ectopic meningioma was suspected and later confirmed after complete surgical resection and histopathological analysis. As a diagnostic challenge, imaging findings reveal distinctive characteristics that are fundamental for their identification, diagnosis and management.