Meningioma Originating from the Hypoglossal Canal: Case Report and Review of Literature.

BACKGROUND

Primary extracranial meningiomas are uncommon neoplasms. In particular, meningioma involving the hypoglossal canal is extremely rare, with only 4 cases reported in the literature so far. Given that each of these meningiomas originated in the juxtacondyle region with involvement of the hypoglossal canal, to the best of our knowledge, a meningioma that exists only within the hypoglossal canal has yet to be reported.

CASE DESCRIPTION

We present a case of primary extracranial meningioma arising solely from the hypoglossal canal. A 62-year-old woman presented with long-term difficulty in tongue movement. Her tongue was deviated to the right, and neurologic examination revealed fasciculation and muscle wasting on the right side of the tongue. Computed tomography revealed a calcification in the right hypoglossal canal. Magnetic resonance imaging further demonstrated a hypointense tumor on both T1-weighted and T2-weighted images, with contrast enhancement in the right condyle. Total tumor removal was performed via a transcondylar approach, and histopathologic examination confirmed the presence of a transitional meningioma. No recurrence was observed at 14 months of follow-up. The patient's tongue atrophy was slightly improved, and the deviation completely disappeared.

CONCLUSIONS

In this extremely rare case of hypoglossal canal meningioma, total tumor removal via a transcondylar approach resulted in the recovery of hypoglossal nerve function.