Falcine chondroma: illustrative case

Melissa M J Chua; Stanley F Bazarek; David M Meredith; Liangge Hsu; Stephen C Saris

doi:10.3171/CASE20124

Falcine chondroma: illustrative case

J Neurosurg Case Lessons. 2021 Feb 8;1(6):CASE20124. doi: 10.3171/CASE20124.

Authors

Melissa M J Chua¹, Stanley F Bazarek¹, David M Meredith², Liangge Hsu³, Stephen C Saris¹

Affiliations

¹ Departments of Neurosurgery.
² Pathology, and.
³ Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

Abstract

Background: Chondromas are benign cartilaginous tumors that are rarely seen in the brain.

Observations: A 58-year-old woman had undergone routine brain imaging after a motor vehicle accident and was incidentally found to have a right falcine lesion. Contrast magnetic resonance imaging showed a mostly nonenhancing mass with discontinuous rim enhancement. She was taken to the operating room and pathology revealed a chondroma.

Lessons: Falcine intracranial chondromas are rare and typically misdiagnosed as meningiomas. Chondromas should be in the differential for patients presenting with nonenhancing falcine lesions.

Keywords: CT = computed tomography; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging; chondroma; falcine; falx; parasagittal.

Publication types

Case Reports