Calvarial Metastases

Calvarial metastases tend to have aggressive features on MR imaging including ill defined margins, multiplicity, bony erosion/invasion, and seeding of the meninges. The most common primary malignancies to cause skull metastases are breast, lung, and prostate cancer.

The above T1W pre- and post contrast sagittal images demonstrate a large, lobulated calvarial lesion which enhances with contrast. This was found to be a metastatic focus in a patient with thyroid carcinoma.  


REFERENCES
Nemeth AJ, Henson JW, Mullins ME, et al. Improved detection of skull metastasis with diffusion-weighted MR imaging. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2007;28:1088-92.
Nguyen BD, McNaughton D. AJR teaching file: nuclear imaging of a tender skull mass. Am J Roentgenol 2007;189(6):S61-3.