The role of the basal cisterns in the development of posterior fossa skull base meningiomas

Meningiomas account for more than 30% of all intracranial brain tumors, with 25% of them originating somewhere along the skull base and about 20% of these located in the posterior fossa. The intimate relation of these tumors with neural and vascular structures make them difficult to treat, both surgically and nonsurgically. Their treatment is further hampered by the lack of definitive recommendations, which is partially due to the fact that there is no general accepted model of classification. The present report proposes a new concept of classification of posterior fossa skull base meningiomas, one that takes into account the intimate relation of these tumors with arachnoid structures, simplifies the overcrowded landscape of their systematization and can be extended to oher skull base locations.