Whether hemangiopericytoma (HPC) of the dura is a variant of meningioma or a distinct entity is a controversial issue. We examined the immunohistochemical reactivity for CD34 and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) of 20 dural-based HPCs from 17 patients and compared the results with 25 meningiomas from 25 patients (five meningothelial. nine transitional, seven fibrous, two atypical, one psammomatous, and one secretory). Histologically, the HPCs could be divided into round, spindle, and “pseudopapillary” cell types; two tumors were mixed. Eighteen of the 20 HPCs stained strongly and diffusely with CD34, whereas only two of 20 were focally positive for EMA. In contrast, only one of 25 meningiomas was focally positive for CD34, whereas 25 of 25 were positive for EMA. We conclude that immunohistochemistry using CD34 and EMA is helpful in distinguishing HPC and meningioma, and CD34 is a sensitive marker for HPC.