Intracranial Epidural Metastases of Adrenal Pheochromocytoma: A Rare Entity

Abstract

Background: Pheochromocytomas are uncommon neuroendocrine tumors of the adrenal medulla. Malignant behavior is seen in approximately 10% of these lesions, evidenced by distant metastasis to sites without chromaffin tissue. Here we report a rare case of intracranial epidural metastases of an adrenal pheochromocytoma in a 24-year-old man.

Case description: The patient originally presented at age 10 years with adrenal pheochromocytoma and subsequently developed extensive metastatic bone and lung disease. He was monitored in the intervening years until recent imaging demonstrated an enlarging right parietal mass. On surgical resection of the parietal lesion, the tumor was highly vascularized and confined to the epidural space.

Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of metastatic epidural spread of pheochromocytoma without concomitant subdural or intraparenchymal extension.

Keywords: Epidural; Meninges; Metastasis; Pheochromocytoma.