Meningiomas with haemorrhagic onset.

Classically meningiomas present and evolve with a progressive course. Meningiomas manifest themselves mainly in middle and old age when the incidence of strokes is higher. The authors report three instances of meningioma with acute haemorrhagic onset. The clinical picture of our cases consisted of subarachnoid bleeding, subdural hematoma and intracerebral haemorrhage respectively. The diagnostic difficulties encountered when assessing these patients are discussed. The current literature regarding meningioma associated with haemorrhage is reviewed. One of our cases seems to be the first reported case of subarachnoid haemorrhage originating from a meningioma of the petrous bone.