Skull tumor diagnosis

Recent diagnostic advances have made such lesions easier to recognize.

Plain skull radiography with special projections is an important diagnostic tool. The initial classification of a lesion into radiolucent (osteolytic) or radiopaque (osteoblastic) is of considerable significance. The presence of sharply defined or irregular margins, the presence or absence of sclerotic borders, and calcifications in the lesion are also important. Head CT scanning, with and without contrast, is useful in determining the extent of intracranial extension and other tumor characteristics.

Most skull tumors share certain MRI characteristics, such as Hypointensity on T1-weighted images, hyperintensity on T2-weighted images, and some degree of contrast enhancement.

The capability of imaging in multiple planes and enhanced soft tissue discrimination has made MRI an important diagnostic tool.