Cerebellopontine angle meningioma diagnosed based on symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia in late pregnancy and showing spontaneous reduction in the early postpartum period: A case report

Abstract

AbstractWe describe a case of cerebellopontine angle meningioma, diagnosed by the initial symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia in late pregnancy, that showed spontaneous tumor volume reduction in the puerperal period. A 28‐year‐old woman developed left facial pain at 30 weeks of pregnancy. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a left cerebellopontine angle tumor. She decided to undergo gamma knife treatment at her local hospital. Fifty‐five days postpartum, magnetic resonance imaging was repeated to plan for this treatment. Gadolinium‐enhanced T1‐weighted imaging showed that the tumor had decreased, with no mass effect. The tumor was considered a low‐grade meningioma present before pregnancy, which grew as a result of hypervascular changes or hormone‐induced cellular proliferation in late pregnancy, and subsequently decreased in volume because of blood flow normalization or hormone normalization. The differential diagnosis and treatment of cerebellopontine meningioma during puerperium require careful observation, as the tumor can spontaneously decrease in size despite being symptomatic.