Infratentorial Meningioma in an 8-Year-Old Child as First Sign of Neurofibromatosis Type 2

Abstract

Meningiomas are rare intracranial tumors in pediatric patients. In contrast to meningiomas in adults, childhood ones have a poorer prognosis because of their high growth potential and tendency to recur. Meningiomas are often associated with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) which is an autosomal-dominant disorder. In contrast to adults who primarily present with symptoms due to vestibular tumors, the initial symptoms in children with NF2 are subtle skin tumors, posterior capsular cataracts, or neurological signs secondary to cranial nerve(s) schwannoma excluding vestibular nerve, and/or brainstem or spinal cord compression. Here we report on the clinical, radiological, and histological findings in an 8-year-old boy who was diagnosed with an isolated infratentorial meningioma and a novel splice site mutation in the NF2 gene. The same mutation was detected in the boy's mother who suffered from hearing loss and tinnitus due to a bilateral vestibular schwannoma. Our patient demonstrates the need for molecular testing for NF2 gene mutations even in isolated childhood meningiomas although they do not fulfill the clinical criteria of NF2.