Intradural angiomatous meningioma arising from a thoracic nerve root

BACKGROUND: Spinal intradural meningiomas that arise purely from a nerve root without dural attachments are extremely rare. Spinal meningiomas arise from arachnoidal cap cells in the spinal canal, and growth of these tumors exerts pressure on the spinal cord and nerve roots. CASE DESCRIPTION: A patient presented with a lesion at the T3-T4 level that resembled a schwannoma on magnetic resonance imaging. During surgery, the tumor originated from a spinal nerve root. Pathologically, it was an angiomatous meningioma (AM). CONCLUSIONS: In a review of the literature, we discuss the pathogenesis and surgical strategy for diagnosing and treating these extremely rare AM lesions.