Meningeal metastasis of the cerebellopontine angle demonstrating "dural tail" sign.

Local leptomeningeal enhancement adjacent to a dural-based mass, observed in magnetic resonance images, has been called a "dural tail" and was initially considered a sign specific for meningioma. Recent work has shown that the dural tail (or "flare") sign may also be seen in association with other dural-based lesions. The authors present a case of a dural-based mass in the cerebellopontine angle that had a dural tail; at surgery, the mass proved to be a metastatic lesion. The authors stress that the dural tail sign is not specific for meningioma or neoplastic invasion; it sometimes simply reflects reactive changes. Furthermore, it is not even specific for dural-based masses, as it may be seen in association with both intra-axial and extra-axial lesions.