An electron microscopic study of meningiomas.

Abstract

Seventeen surgically removed meningiomas of the endotheliomatous and five of the fibromatous type were investigated with an electron microscope. Differences of the development of cytoplasmic processes and the relations between plasma membranes of blastomatous cells were observed in endotheliomatous meningiomas. In four of the fibromatous tumors the cell groups were surrounded by spaces of connective tissue. Although most of the tumor cells were light cells and are not essentially different from the tumor cells of the endotheliomatous meningiomas, the histological structure of fibromatous meningiomas is clearly distinguished from the endotheliomatous type, because of the greater amount of connective tissue. The dark cells may be divided into two types: the first was found in those four tumors, where the connective tissue is well developed, while the second one only occurred in one of the tumors. The analysis of the inner cell structure as well as the presence of interstages between dark and light cells makes it probable that dark and light cells are different types of one original cell. The cause of this different appearance of the menigioma cells is discussed. The fine structure of the tumor cells showed a great similarity with that of normal arachnoidal cells. Conclusions on the blastodermic origin of normal and blastomatous meningial cells on the basis of ultrastructural characteristics, however, seem to be premature.