Dural tail adjacent to a giant posterior cerebral artery aneurysm : case report and review of the literature

• Published in: Neuroradiology Vol. 39; no. 8; pp. 577 - 580
• Main Authors: GOOD, C. D, KINGSLEY, D. P. E, TAYLOR, W. J, HARKNESS, W. F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01.08.1997
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebral Angiography; Cerebral Arteries - pathology; Contrast Media; Dura Mater - pathology; Embolization, Therapeutic; Female; Gadolinium DTPA; Humans; Image Enhancement; Intracranial Aneurysm - diagnosis; Intracranial Aneurysm - therapy; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Medical sciences; Neurology; Organometallic Compounds; Pentetic Acid - analogs & derivatives; Puerperal Disorders - diagnosis; Puerperal Disorders - therapy; Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system; Human; Intracranial; Nervous system diseases; Radiologic sign; Aneurysm; Cardiovascular disease; Gadolinium; Posterior cerebral artery; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Artery; Cerebral disorder; Arterial disease; Vascular disease; Case study; Etiology; Central nervous system disease; Medical imagery; Female; Diagnosis; Cerebrovascular disease; Contrast media
• ISSN: 0028-3940; 1432-1920
• DOI: 10.1007/s002340050470

The "dural tail" sign on gadolinium (Gd-DTPA)-enhanced MRI has been described in association with meningiomas. Various series with histopathological correlation have shown that in some cases there is tumour invasion into the dura mater, but in the majority of cases it represents a hypervascular, non-neoplastic reaction. While this sign was originally thought to be specific for meningioma, subsequent case reports have described the presence of a dural tail in other intra- and extra-axial lesions. We present a patient with a giant aneurysm arising from the P2 segment of the right posterior cerebral artery, adjacent to the tentorium, with a prominent dural tail on Gd-DTPA-enhanced MRI. In this location, differentiation of an aneurysm from a meningioma was critical.