CT and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings of Lipomatous Hemangiopericytoma of Skull Base: A Case Report

Abstract

Hemangiopericytomas were described as tumors arising from the pericytes of Zimmermans, which are modified smooth muscle contractile cells surrounding the capillaries (1). Hemangiopericytoma is a rare tumor with an incidence of less than 1% of all central nervous system (CNS) tumors. In addition, hemangiopericytoma is an aggressive tumor with malignant potential and tends to recur and occasionally metastasize, mainly to the bone, lung, and liver (2). However, hemangiopericytomas with a significant lipomatous component were first introduced into literature in 1990. Later, Nielsen et al. (3) coined the term, lipomatous hemangiopericytoma (LHPC), as a pathologically distinct entity. Folpe et al. (4) reported LHPC that occurred in adults, primarily in the deep soft tissues of the leg and in the retroperitoneum. This entity, arising from the skull base has not yet been documented on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. We experienced a surgically proven LHPC of the temporal skull base within a 44-year-old woman.