A rare case of dumbbell meningioma of the upper cervical spinal cord

Dumbbell tumors account for 13–18 % [1, 2] of reported spinal cord tumors. Most (71–83 %) dumbbell tumors are neurinomas; dumbbell meningiomas are extremely uncommon, comprising only 2–3.6 %. In approximately two-thirds of the reported cases of dumbbell meningioma, the tumor arose from the thoracic vertebrae. It is very uncommon for a dumbbell meningioma to occur at the level of the cervical vertebrae; our review of the literature revealed only seven such cases. Here, we report a case of dumbbell meningioma arising at the upper cervical level in a 49-year-old woman, who presented with progressive myelopathy.