We report two cases of unusual cystic meningiomas in elderly patients. One was a 74-yearold woman. The mass was located in the left parasagittal region and contained an intratumoral cyst. The other was a 60-year-old woman. The mass was located in the left parietal region and contained an extraparenchymal cyst. The soft tissue areas in these two patients were small, while the cystic regions were large making the pictures mimic malignant astrocytoma. Magnetic resonance imaging depicted a ”dural tail sign” which was helpful in the preoperative diagnosis of a dura-based meningioma rather than an intra-axial glioma.