Meningioma

A meningioma can be difficult to diagnose because it often grows slowly and often doesn’t cause symptoms until it’s big enough to affect neighboring areas of your brain. In addition, the majority of meningiomas are slow growing and mainly affect adults. The symptoms may be so mild that the affected person and/or their healthcare provider may attribute them to the normal signs of aging.

If your healthcare provider suspects you may have a meningioma, they’ll likely refer you to a neurologist.

To diagnose a meningioma, your healthcare provider will perform a physical examination and a neurological examination. They’ll also recommend imaging tests, such as:

• Brain MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): The best imaging test to diagnose meningioma is a brain MRI scan with contrast. An MRI scan is a painless test that produces very clear images of the organs and structures inside of your body using a large magnet, radio waves and a computer. MRI with contrast helps improve the diagnostic quality of the images. MRI contrast agents contain a rare earth metal called gadolinium that interacts with the magnetic field emitted by the MRI machines.
• CT (computed tomography) scan: If you can’t undergo an MRI, your healthcare provider will likely recommend a head CT scan with contrast. CT scans create detailed images of the structures inside of your body using X-rays and computers. The contrast agent, sometimes called a dye, improves the images by highlighting certain features. You’ll either drink the contrast agent or your healthcare provider will inject it into a blood vessel through an IV.

Sometimes, if the diagnosis is in doubt, a biopsy may be needed to confirm the diagnosis of meningioma and exclude other possible diagnoses. Your neurosurgeon will perform the biopsy to obtain a small tissue sample. The tissue sample will be examined to establish a diagnosis, determine whether the tumor is benign or malignant, and decide on a tumor grade.