Abstract
Sarcoidosis may also present as an extra- or intra-axial mass involving the central nervous system. These lesions are sometimes operated upon, because a neoplasm is suspected. We report two cases of unusual tumour-like extra- and intra-axial sarcoidosis. The extra-axial mass was just medial to the jugular foramen. Its morphology and signal characteristics differed from the more common lesions in this area. The intra-axial mass was in the temporal lobe, with only minor leptomeningeal involvement. Extra-axial sarcoidosis can be confused with a meningioma because these lesions can give relatively low signal on T2-weighted images. Intra-axial masses are presumed to represent a propagation and fusion of multiple leptomeningeal granulomas through the Virchow-Robin spaces in the brain; this pattern can be sought on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images.
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Received: 28 March 1996 Accepted: 30 August 1996
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Urbach, H., Kristof, R., Zentner, J. et al. Sarcoidosis presenting as an intra- or extra-axial cranial mass: report of two cases. Neuroradiology 39, 516–519 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002340050457
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002340050457