[A case of jugular foramen meningioma in a child].

The common tumors originating in the jugular foramen are chemodectoma and schwannoma. Jugular foramen meningioma is extremely rare. Review of the literature revealed only seven reported cases of this tumor. The authors present a child case of jugular foramen meningioma with intra and extracranial extension. A 9-year-old boy was admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, Hiroshima University School of Medicine on March 20, 1985. Since the age of 3, the patient had hoarseness and was found to tilt his neck when he shouted. Since the age of 6, he was found to nod when he swallowed. At the age of 8, he developed swallowing difficulties. On admission, his general condition was unremarkable except for his lean build (126 cm in height and 23 kg in weight). An elastic hard and immobile mass was palpable in the left upper neck deep in the atrophic sternocleidomastoid muscle. Neurological examination revealed involvement of the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth cranial nerves. A plain skull roentgenogram and laminogram revealed hyperostosis around the left jugular foramen, and narrowing of the canal. CT with contrast enhancement revealed a high density mass in the left cerebellopontine angle extending through the jugular foramen to the left parapharyngeal space. Cerebral angiography did not show any abnormal findings except for complete blockage of the left sigmoid sinus. On April 4, 1985, subtotal removal of the intracranial tumor was performed using suboccipital craniotomy. Then, on July 3, 1985, the left parapharyngeal tumor was excised through a cervicofacial incision. Finally the residual tumor in the jugular foramen was excised using suboccipital approach on August 18, 1986.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)