Transient global amnesia as a revealing sign of giant transtentorial meningioma: case report and review of the literature.

Since 1974, only 14 papers in MEDLINE-indexed journals have linked transient global amnesia (TGA) to a brain tumor. Among these, two described the entity of transient epileptic amnesia (TEA), whereas most reports lacked the functional investigations that might differentiate the two conditions. Only six cases have linked TGA or TEA to a meningioma, and none of them were transtentorial. We report the case of a 75-year-old woman who presented with one episode of TGA as a sole symptom of a giant transtentorial meningioma in the right hemisphere. A sudden attack of TGA with a rather typical clinical presentation--anterograde amnesia with selective retrograde features that lasted for a few hours, with stereotypic questions, no associated symptoms or neurological impairment, and no recurrence--occurred while she was at home; this was witnessed by her husband. The neurological examination was unremarkable, with the exception of a slight left homonymous superior quadrantonopia. Brain imaging (computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) showed a huge meningioma originating from the right tentorium, extending from the cerebellar hemisphere to the midst of the temporal lobe. An electroencephalogram did not reveal temporal spikes. The tumor was completely excised, and she has remained asymptomatic for 6 months. Although TGA is generally a functional entity, without an organic substrate to prompt surgical sanction, a full investigation may be warranted to rule out the possibility of a silent intracranial tumor.