Primary myxomas of the skull base.

Twelve cases of intracranial primary myxomas are discussed. The mean age at presentation was 34.2 years and seven patients were male. All tumours originated extradurally from the skull base. Most of the patients had a chronic clinical course, characterized by unilateral dysfunction of one or several cranial nerves. It was difficult to determine the pathological diagnosis before operation. Radical excision is the best choice of treatment for intracranial myxoma, but the tumour has a tendency to recur. Intracranial primary myxomas have been rarely discussed in the neurosurgical literature. There were 12 cases of myxoma located at the skull base treated in our institute from 1983 to 1992. All were operated and proven histologically. Clinical echocardiography revealed no evidence of a cardiac myxoma in any patient. The behavioural characteristics, clinical manifestations and management of intracranial myxomas are reviewed in this paper.