Background: Osteomas of the paranasal sinus are often asymptomatic and are sometimes complicated by mucoceles, but intradural extension of such a mucocele has rarely been reported.
Case description: This 67-year-old man with complaint of headache was diagnosed as having an intradural extension of a mucocele complicating an osteoma of the frontoethmoid sinus. A right frontobasal craniotomy was performed and a mucocele in the frontal sinus extending into the frontal lobe through two dural defects and the osteoma was removed completely. The patient was successfully treated without recurrence.
Conclusion: The importance of radical surgery for such lesions and the relationship between osteomas and mucoceles are discussed.