Surgical Resection of a Foramen Magnum Meningioma—A Rarely Encountered Skull Base Tumour in Trinidad

Abstract

Tumours of the foramen magnum are infrequent compared to other locations within the neuraxis. Meningiomas are one of the most frequently encountered tumours of the nervous system, but only 1.8 to 3.2% actually originate within the foramen magnum. However, they account for almost 50% of all tumours in this region. We report a case of a large foramen magnum meningioma in a 16-year-old female, the diagnostic difficulty it presents due to its rarity and indolent course, and the surgical strategies employed to manage this case. This was the first performance of a far-lateral craniotomy in San Fernando General Hospital. The use of a staged procedure to facilitate this skull base tumour resection resulted in an excellent outcome.