A rare, mostly benign, primary tumor of the meninges (arachnoid cap cells), usually located in the supratentorial compartment, commonly appearing in the sixth and seventh decade of life, clinically silent in most cases or causing hyperostosis close to the tumor and resulting in focal bulging and localized pain in less than 10% of cases. Additional features may include headache, seizures, gradual personality changes (apathy and dementia), anosmia, impaired vision, exophthalmos, hearing loss, ataxia, dysmetria, hypotonia, nystagmus, and rarely spontaneous bleeding.

Projection of the tip of the dens more than 5 mm above a line joining the hard palate to the posterior lip of the foramen magnum (Chamberlain's line) or the tip of the dens is greater than 7 mm above McGregor's line (the back of the hard palate to the lowest point of the occipital squama).