Peritumoral brain edema in meningiomas: correlations between magnetic resonance imaging, angiography, and pathology.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the radiologic characteristics and pathology related to the formation of peritumoral edema in meningiomas.

METHODS

Seventy-nine patients with meningioma were examined by MRI and cerebral angiography. The predictive factors possibly related to peritumoral edema, such as patient age, sex, tumor location, tumor size, peritumoral rim (CSF cleft), shape of tumor margin, signal intensity of tumor in T2WI, pial blood supply, and pathology, were evaluated. We defined the edema-tumor volume ratio as EI and used this index to evaluate peritumoral edema.

RESULTS

Male sex (P = .009), tumor size (P = .026), signal intensity of tumor in T2WI (P = .016), atypical and malignant tumor (P = .004), and pial blood supply (P = .001) correlated with peritumoral edema on univariate analyses. However, in multivariate analyses, pial blood supply was statistically significant as a factor for peritumoral edema in meningioma (P = .029). Male sex (P = .067, P < .1) and hyperintensity in T2WI (P = .075, P < .1) might have statistical probability in peritumoral edema.

CONCLUSIONS

In our results, male sex, hyperintensity on T2WI, and pial blood supply were associated with peritumoral edema in meningioma that influence the clinical prognosis of patients.