Intracranial lipoma with hematopoietic elements (myelolipoma). Report of a case with successful surgical resection

A 74-year-old woman presented with a symptomatic posterior fossa mass which was successfully resected. Histologic examination revealed that the tumor was composed primarily of adipose and hematopoietic tissues warranting the diagnosis of myelolipoma. This represents the first case report of intracranial myelolipoma as well as the first reported successful surgical resection of the tumor in this location. A review of this subject indicates that the term myelolipoma denotes tumors with at least two different etiologies. The first represents metaplastic differentiation within a lipoma and the second appears to be a response of adrenal tissue to noxious stimuli.