Intracranial metastatic lesions arise through a number of routes. Therefore, they can involve any part of the central nervous system and their imaging appearances vary.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a key role in lesion detection, lesion delineation, and differentiation of metastases from other intracranial disease processes.This article is a reasoned pictorial review illustrating the many faces of intracranial metastatic lesions based on the location -intra-axial metastases, calvarial metastases, dural metastases, leptomeningeal metastases, secondary invasion of the meninges by metastatic disease involving the calvarium and skull base, direct or perineural intracranial extension of head and neck neoplasm, and other unusual manifestations of intracranial metastases.We also review the role of advanced MRI to distinguish metastases from high-grade gliomas, tumor-mimicking lesions such as brain abscesses, and delayed post-radiation changes in radiosurgically treated patients.Intracranial metastases occur in approximately 20-40% of patients with cancer and account for up to 40% of all adult brain neoplasms (1, 2). Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, and the incidence continues to rise, with brain metastases representing an increasing challenge to healthcare providers. Early diagnosis of brain metastasis and intensive, aggressive treatment can reduce the symptoms, improve the patient's quality of life, and prolong survival. Therapeutic considerations have to be individualized, and depend on the patient's neurologic status, dissemination of systemic malignancy, number and location of brain metastases, and sensitivity of the primary tumor to radiation and chemotherapy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a major role in the evaluation and management of patients with metastatic brain tumors. The preferred examination providing the best information about the presence, location, and number of intracranial metastases and their response to treatment is contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) (3 -5). Although brain parenchyma is more frequently involved, extra-axial metastases are the second most common extra-axial neoplasms in the supratentorial compartment, with leptomeningeal metastases accounting for 8 -10% of patients and dural metastases for 3 -4% (6).This article describes the MR findings of various intracranial metastases, based on the lesion's location, and role of advanced MRI.
Skull metastasesCarcinomas of the lung, breast, kidney, and prostate are the most frequent primary neoplasm in skull metastasis. Skull metastases are hyperintense on T2-weighted sequences. On pre-contrast T1-weighted sequences skull metastases are more easily detected, where they appear as hypointense focal marrow lesions. CE-MRI findings are superior for detecting lesions, delineating lesion extent, and determining involvement of the underlying dura or brain (6, 7). On CE-MRI, the lesion may enhance to "normal" T1 marrow signal which require fat saturation (6,8). Skull metastases commonly also involve the adja...