Vascular Lesions of the Central Nervous System Mimicking Tumors and Clues to Prospective Diagnosis

Vascular lesions of the CNS can uncommonly be confused with neoplasms, both by the imaging appearance and clinical symptoms. In these cases, the role of the radiologist is to alert clinicians to the possibility of a vascular lesion and ensure proper imaging to avoid a potentially dangerous biopsy or a delay in appropriate management. Vascular lesions that are benign, ischemic, inflammatory, or iatrogenic in nature can all present with imaging features that simulate neoplasms. Our aim was to present a series of representative cases that highlight these lesions, with a discussion of imaging features to aid the correct diagnosis.

Learning Objective: Recognize imaging features of lesions that suggest a vascular rather than neoplastic etiology and the appropriate next steps for diagnosis.