Metastases in Meckel's cave

Abstract

Metastases in Meckel's cave are a rare tumor entity and should be considered as important differential diagnosis, especially if the patient presents with trigeminal neuralgia and suffers from a known primary malignancy. We present three cases of patients with secondary trigeminal neuralgia caused by a metastasis in Meckel's cave, treated by microsurgery and fractionated radiation therapy. Differential diagnoses are discussed on the basis of preoperative neuroradiological imaging. MRI is the preferred diagnostic modality, whereas complementary CT may be needed for evaluation of early bone invasion