Taking a close look at optic-nerve meningioma

Abstract

MENINGIOMAS, the most common benign intracranial neoplasms, most often involve the visual pathways in the parasellar and orbital regions, with compression or infiltration of the optic nerves or chiasm. Parasellar tumors may arise anteriorly, from the anterior clinoid, planum sphenoidale, or olfac-tory groove; posteriorly, from the dorsum or tuberculum sellae; or laterally, along the sphenoid wing. Meningiomas affecting the optic nerve may also arise from the optic canal, and from the optic-nerve sheath itself within the orbit. This review focuses on such primary optic-nerve-sheath tumors.