Intracranial angioleiomyoma: a case series of seven patients and review of the literature

Angioleiomyoma, predominantly arising from the extremities, is a benign soft tissue tumor. Reports on its intracranial location are rare. We assessed clinical, radiological, and pathological features of intracranial angioleiomyoma (iALM) treated at our neurosurgical institution.

We consecutively enrolled all patients with neuropathologically confirmed iALM treated at a single neurosurgical institution between 2013 and 2021. Clinical and imaging data were collected, and histological tissue sections were analyzed. A review of the literature on iALM was conducted.

Seven patients with iALM (four female) with a median age of 45 years (range: 32–76 years) were identified. In three cases, the lesion was found incidentally. In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), all tumors were hypo- to isointense on T1-weighted, hyperintense on T2-weighted sequences, and gadolinium-enhancing. A strong FLAIR signal was seen in six patients. Surgery consisted of gross total resection in all cases without perioperative complications. Neuropathological staining was positive for smooth muscle actin (SMA) in all lesions. Mature smooth muscle cells arranged around blood vessels were typically observed. The Ki-67 index was ≤ 3%. The patients were discharged after a median of 6 days (range: 4–9 days). During a median follow-up time of 14 months (range: 4–41 months), no tumor recurrence occurred. In the current literature, 42 additional cases of iALM were identified.

Intracranial angioleiomyoma is a benign soft tissue tumor treated by gross total resection. Tumor morphology and positive staining for SMA lead to the neuropathological diagnosis.