Sunburst sign (meningioma)

Sunburst sign

(meningioma) • Meningioma with vascular pedicle - Ganzer Fall bei Radiopaedia

Gaillard, F. Meningioma with vascular pedicle. Case study, Radiopaedia.org. (accessed on 20 Oct 2022) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-4729 • CC by-nc-sa 3.0 (modified)

Radiopaedia • CC-by-nc-sa 3.0 • de

The sunburst sign refers to the characteristic vascular supply seen in some meningiomas when seen from the side (tangential to the dural attachment). It is the result of the same phenomenon which results in the spoke wheel pattern of vessels (viewed in cross-section, parallel to dural attachment).

The vascular supply of meningiomas is often both dural and pial. Pial branches usually supply the innermost part of the tumor but arterial feeders to the pedicle at the site of dural attachment and center of the lesion typically arise from branches of the external carotid artery and in particular middle meningeal artery.

The feeder arterial branches diverge radially into the lesion; this gives the appearance of a sunburst on T2-weighted or post contrast images, or during angiography.

Terminology

Sunburst sign may also refer to:

sunburst periosteal reaction seen in aggressive bone tumors (e.g. osteosarcoma)