Meningiomas typically cause slowly but relentlessly progressive signs of cerebral deficit and symptoms of cerebral irritation (seizures). Occasionally, the symptoms appear precipitously.1,2 Cushing and Eisenhardt3 stated that Cruveilhier, who is credited with the first pathologic description of meningiomas, observed in 1812 a patient in whom hemiplegia suddenly developed. Death occurred 2 weeks later, and necropsy disclosed a huge tumor adherent to the dura. Such an apoplectiform onset has been explained on the assumption that thrombosis has resulted from mechanical compression by the tumor.
Present Study
Recently, while reviewing the records at the Mayo Clinic of 210 patients who had supratentorial meningiomas, we observed that some patients had experienced intermittent and transient symptoms of cerebral disturbance. Since these symptoms were manifested as a temporary deficiency or impairment in cerebral function, they did not appear to express ictal phenomena. In some patients these evanescent deficits recurred frequently, often for months,