Cystic meningioma is an uncommon meningioma variant that is often difficult to distinguish from other intra-axial tumors, including necrotic gliomas. Cystic meningiomas located in the ventricle are particularly rare and may be misdiagnosed with other brain tumors, including ependymoma, choroid plexus papilloma and neurocytoma, due to its location. The present study discusses two cases of lateral ventricular meningiomas, which exhibited intratumoral or peritumoral cystic changes on magnetic resonance imaging scans. The two patients underwent surgical treatment and histological examination confirmed one case of metaplastic meningioma and the other case of psammomatous meningioma. The two patients were middle-aged females and had been misdiagnosed prior to surgery. Although this clinical entity is rare, the diagnosis of meningioma should be considered, particularly in middle-aged female patients.
Keywords: cystic meningioma; diagnosis; intraventricular meningioma; magnetic resonance imaging.