Neurosurgical, obstetric and endocrine aspects of meningioma during pregnancy.

A 34-year-old woman presented with symptoms due to a cerebral meningioma during pregnancy. The meningioma tissue was found to be positive for progesterone but not estrogen receptors. The relationship of meningiomas to pregnancy, female sex, and breast cancer is discussed with emphasis on the presence of hormone receptors in the tumor tissue. The high incidence (39 to 100%) of progesterone receptors in meningiomas may explain the increased percentage of its discovery during pregnancy. Neurosurgical intervention during pregnancy should be confined to cases associated with neurological deficit. Cesarean section is indicated only in the presence of a major intracranial mass effect.