Ventral foramen magnum meningiomas

2000 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenan I. Arnautović ◽  
Ossama Al-Mefty ◽  
Muhammad Husain

Object. Ventral foramen magnum meningiomas (VFMMs) are rare lesions that account for more than 3% of all meningiomas. These are among the most challenging of all meningiomas to treat. The authors comprehensively analyzed multiple features in a series of VFMMs. Methods. A retrospective study was performed of 18 patients who harbored a meningioma in the ventral foramen magnum (mean follow-up period, 40 months) and underwent surgery via a transcondylar approach. Sixteen patients underwent surgery for the first time: 12 underwent gross-total (75%), two near-total (12.5%), and two subtotal (12.5%) tumor removal. The remaining two patients were treated for a recurrent tumor. After obtaining postoperative Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) scores at follow up, statistically significant improvement was demonstrated compared with the preoperative scores. The extent of surgery and higher preoperative KPS scores were variables that showed statistically significant favorable influence on outcome. Ninth and 10th cranial nerve deficits were the most common complications contributing to a prolonged hospital stay. There were no perioperative deaths. Four patients died during the follow-up period. The first patient died of multiple myeloma. The second patient, in whom surgery was performed to treat a recurrent tumor, died 3 years after the surgery of new tumor recurrence at the age of 80 years. The remaining two patients died 1.5 and 5 months postsurgery of pulmonary embolus and endocarditis, respectively. Conclusions. Ventral foramen magnum meningiomas can be radically resected in a majority of patients, with frequent but transient morbidity caused by lower cranial nerve deficits. Radical removal of a recurrent tumor provides a relatively long, stable postoperative course. In patients presenting with a low KPS score a poor prognosis is demonstrated, and early diagnosis and treatment are recommended to avoid it.

1999 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. E7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenan I. Arnautovic ◽  
Ossama Al-Mefty ◽  
Muhamed Husain

Meningiomas of the ventral foramen magnum are rare lesions that account for less than 3% of all meningiomas. Their treatment remains one of the most challenging among all meningiomas. The authors comprehensively analyzed multiple features in the series of patients who harbored these lesions. The authors conducted a retrospective study of 18 patients who harbored lesions in the ventral foramen magnum (mean follow up 40 months) in whom surgery was performed via a transcondylar approach. Sixteen patients underwent surgery for the first time: in 12 patients (75%) gross total, in two (12.5%) near total, and in two (12.5%) subtotal tumor removal was achieved. The remaining two patients were treated for a recurrent tumor. Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) scores obtained at follow-up review demonstrated statistically significant improvement compared with those obtained preoperatively. The extent of surgical resection and preoperative KPS score were variables that demonstrated statistically significant favorable influence on outcomes. Ninth and 10th cranial nerve palsies were the most common complication that contributed to the prolonged hospital stay; six patients who experienced nerve palsy preoperatively worsened postoperatively, and four other patients developed nerve palsy after surgery. There were no perioperative deaths. Four patients died during the follow-up period. One patient died of multiple myeloma; another, who underwent surgery for a recurrent tumor, died 3 years after this second surgery from new tumor recurrence at 80 years of age; and the remaining two patients died 1.5 and 5 months postsurgery of pulmonary embolus and endocarditis, respectively. Meningioma of the ventral foramen magnum can be radically removed in a majority of patients in whom complications will be frequent but transient, resulting from lower cranial nerve palsies. The radical removal of a recurrent tumor provides for the patient a relatively long, stable follow-up period. Patients presenting with a low KPS score have a poor prognosis. Early diagnosis and treatment are recommended.


2001 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. 825-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madjid Samii ◽  
Rama Eghbal ◽  
Gustavo Adolpho Carvalho ◽  
Cordula Matthies

Object. A careful retrospective analysis of 36 cases was performed to evaluate the pre- and postoperative rates of morbidity that occur in patients with brainstem cavernous angiomas. Methods. The authors evaluated immediate postoperative and follow-up outcomes with regard to clinical findings, the incidence of preoperative hemorrhage(s), location and size of the lesions, and the timing of the surgical procedure after the last hemorrhagic event. Specifically, the following parameters were analyzed: 1) number of hemorrhages; 2) the precise brainstem location (pontomesencephalic, pons, and medulla oblongata); 3) pre- and postoperative cranial nerve status; 4) pre- and postoperative motor and sensory deficits; 5) size (volume) of the lesions; and 6) pre- and postoperative Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) scores. Multiple hemorrhages were observed in 16 patients, particularly in those with pontomesencephalic cavernous angiomas (75%). The mean preoperative KPS score was 70.3 ± 16.3 (± standard deviation). Twenty-six patients (72.2%) presented with cranial nerve impairment, 13 (36.1%) with motor deficits, and 17 (47.2%) with sensory disturbance. Volume of the lesions ranged from 0.18 to 18.18 cm3 (mean 4.75 cm3). Postoperative complications included new cranial nerve deficits in 17 patients, motor deficits in three, and new sensory disturbances in 12 patients. In a mean follow-up period of 21.5 months, KPS scores were 80 to 100 in 22 patients. Timing of surgery (posthemorrhage) and multiple hemorrhages did not influence the long-term results. Higher preoperative KPS scores and smaller-volume lesions, however, were factors associated with a better final outcome (p < 0.05). Major morbidity was related mainly to preoperative status and less to surgical treatment. The incidence of new postoperative cranial nerve deficits was clearly lower than that demonstrated preoperatively because of the brainstem hemorrhages. Conclusions. Based on these findings, resection of brainstem cavernomas is the treatment of choice in the majority of these cases because of the high incidence of morbidity related to one or often several brainstem hemorrhages.


2004 ◽  
Vol 101 (Supplement3) ◽  
pp. 362-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Selch ◽  
Alessandro Pedroso ◽  
Steve P. Lee ◽  
Timothy D. Solberg ◽  
Nzhde Agazaryan ◽  
...  

Object. The authors sought to assess the safety and efficacy of stereotactic radiotherapy when using a linear accelerator equipped with a micromultileaf collimator for the treatment of patients with acoustic neuromas. Methods. Fifty patients harboring acoustic neuromas were treated with stereotactic radiotherapy between September 1997 and June 2003. Two patients were lost to follow-up review. Patient age ranged from 20 to 76 years (median 59 years), and none had neurofibromatosis. Forty-two patients had useful hearing prior to stereotactic radiotherapy. The fifth and seventh cranial nerve functions were normal in 44 and 46 patients, respectively. Tumor volume ranged from 0.3 to 19.25 ml (median 2.51 ml). The largest tumor dimension varied from 0.6 to 4 cm (median 2.2 cm). Treatment planning in all patients included computerized tomography and magnetic resonance image fusion and beam shaping by using a micromultileaf collimator. The planning target volume included the contrast-enhancing tumor mass and a margin of normal tissue varying from 1 to 3 mm (median 2 mm). All tumors were treated with 6-MV photons and received 54 Gy prescribed at the 90% isodose line encompassing the planning target volume. A sustained increase greater than 2 mm in any tumor dimension was defined as local relapse. The follow-up duration varied from 6 to 74 months (median 36 months). The local tumor control rate in the 48 patients available for follow up was 100%. Central tumor hypodensity occurred in 32 patients (67%) at a median of 6 months following stereotactic radiotherapy. In 12 patients (25%), tumor size increased 1 to 2 mm at a median of 6 months following stereotactic radiotherapy. Increased tumor size in six of these patients was transient. In 13 patients (27%), tumor size decreased 1 to 14 mm at a median of 6 months after treatment. Useful hearing was preserved in 39 patients (93%). New facial numbness occurred in one patient (2.2%) with normal fifth cranial nerve function prior to stereotactic radiotherapy. New facial palsy occurred in one patient (2.1%) with normal seventh cranial nerve function prior to treatment. No patient's pretreatment dysfunction of the fifth or seventh cranial nerve worsened after stereotactic radiotherapy. Tinnitus improved in six patients and worsened in two. Conclusions. Stereotactic radiotherapy using field shaping for the treatment of acoustic neuromas achieves high rates of tumor control and preservation of useful hearing. The technique produces low rates of damage to the fifth and seventh cranial nerves. Long-term follow-up studies are necessary to confirm these findings.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 586-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johann Romstöck ◽  
Christian Strauss ◽  
Rudolf Fahlbusch

Object. Electromyography (EMG) monitoring is expected to reduce the incidence of motor cranial nerve deficits in cerebellopontine angle surgery. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed analysis of intraoperative EMG phenomena with respect to their surgical significance.Methods. Using a system that continuously records facial and lower cranial nerve EMG signals during the entire operative procedure, the authors examined 30 patients undergoing surgery on acoustic neuroma (24 patients) or meningioma (six patients). Free-running EMG signals were recorded from muscles targeted by the facial, trigeminal, and lower cranial nerves, and were analyzed off-line with respect to waveform characteristics, frequencies, and amplitudes. Intraoperative measurements were correlated with typical surgical maneuvers and postoperative outcomes.Characteristic EMG discharges were obtained: spikes and bursts were recorded immediately following the direct manipulation of a dissecting instrument near the cranial nerve, but also during periods when the nerve had not yet been exposed. Bursts could be precisely attributed to contact activity. Three distinct types of trains were identified: A, B, and C trains. Whereas B and C trains are irrelevant with respect to postoperative outcome, the A train—a sinusoidal, symmetrical sequence of high-frequency and low-amplitude signals—was observed in 19 patients and could be well correlated with additional postoperative facial nerve paresis (in 18 patients).Conclusions. It could be demonstrated that the occurrence of A trains is a highly reliable predictor for postoperative facial palsy. Although some degree of functional worsening is to be expected postoperatively, there is a good chance of avoiding major deficits by warning the surgeon early. Continuous EMG monitoring is superior to electrical nerve stimulation or acoustic loudspeaker monitoring alone. The detailed analysis of EMG-waveform characteristics is able to provide more accurate warning criteria during surgery.


2005 ◽  
Vol 103 (5) ◽  
pp. 841-847 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arja Mainio ◽  
Helinä Hakko ◽  
Asko Niemelä ◽  
John Koivukangas ◽  
Pirkko Räsänen

Object. The authors analyzed changes in depression and contemporary functional states by using valid tools in a population-based study sample during a 1-year follow-up period. Methods. The study population consisted of 77 patients with a solitary primary brain tumor treated surgically at the Oulu Clinic for Neurosurgery. Each patient's depressive status, according to the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and functional outcome, based on the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS), were evaluated before the tumor was surgically treated as well as 3 months and 1 year after surgery. Before surgery 27 patients (35%) had BDI scores indicating the presence of depression. These scores were significantly higher in patients with a history of depression (p = 0.017) and in those with a lower functional outcome (p = 0.015). In the entire study sample the severity of depression decreased statistically significantly (p = 0.031) at 3 months postsurgery. A lower functional status (KPS score ≤ 70) in patients was significantly associated with high depression scores at the 3-month (p = 0.000) and 1-year (p = 0.005) assessments. The decrease in the level of depression was significant in patients with an anterior tumor (p = 0.049) and those with a pituitary adenoma (p = 0.019). Conclusions. Affective disorders among patients with brain tumors must be considered immediately after surgery, especially in persons with a depression history and in those with a coincident physical disability.


2004 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin J. Cunningham ◽  
Rick Bond ◽  
Marc R. Mayberg ◽  
Charles P. Warlow ◽  
Peter M. Rothwell

Object. Cranial nerve injuries, particularly motor nerve injuries, following carotid endarterectomy (CEA) can be disabling and therefore patients should be given reliable information about the risks of sustaining such injuries. The reported frequency of cranial nerve injury in the published literature ranges from 3 to 23%, and there have been few series in which patients were routinely examined before and after surgery by a neurologist. Methods. The authors investigated the risk of cranial nerve injuries in patients who underwent CEA in the European Carotid Surgery Trial (ECST), the largest series of patients undergoing CEA in which neurological assessment was performed before and after surgery. Cranial nerve injury was assessed and recorded in every patient and persisting deficits were identified on follow-up examination at 4 months and 1 year after randomization. Risk factors for cranial nerve injury were examined by performing univariate and multivariate analyses. There were 88 motor cranial nerve injuries among the 1739 patients undergoing CEA (5.1% of patients; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.1–6.2). In 23 patients, the deficit had resolved by hospital discharge, leaving 3.7% of patients (95% CI 2.9–4.7) with a residual cranial nerve injury: 27 hypoglossal, 17 marginal mandibular, 17 recurrent laryngeal, one accessory nerve, and three Horner syndrome. In only nine patients (0.5%; 95% CI 0.24–0.98) the deficit was still present at the 4-month follow-up examination; however, none of the persisting deficits resolved during the subsequent follow up. Only duration of operation longer than 2 hours was independently associated with an increased risk of cranial nerve injury (hazard ratio 1.56, p < 0.0001). Conclusions. The risk of motor cranial nerve injury persisting beyond hospital discharge after CEA is approximately 4%. The vast majority of neurological deficits resolve over the next few months, however, and permanent deficits are rare. Nevertheless, the risk of cranial nerve injury should be communicated to patients before they undergo surgery.


1998 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 956-961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim W. Malisch ◽  
Guido Guglielmi ◽  
Fernando Viñuela ◽  
Gary Duckwiler ◽  
Y. Pierre Gobin ◽  
...  

Object. Embolization of intracranial aneurysms by using Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs) is proving to be a safe method of protecting aneurysms from rupture. Occasionally, patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms present with symptoms related to the aneurysm's mass effect on either the brain parenchyma or cranial nerves. In the present study, the authors conducted a retrospective review to evaluate the response to GDC embolization in a series of 19 patients presenting with cranial nerve dysfunction due to mass effect. Methods. Aneurysms were classified by size, shape, wall calcification, and amount of intraluminal thrombus. Patients were classified by duration of symptoms prior to GDC treatment (range < 1 month to > 10 years). Clinical assessment was performed within days of the GDC procedure and at later follow-up appointments (range 1–70 months, mean 24 months). In the immediate post-GDC period, four patients experienced worsening of cranial nerve deficits. Two of the four patients had transient worsening of visual acuity, which later improved to better than baseline status. Another patient who had presented with headache and seventh and eighth cranial nerve deficits from a vertebrobasilar junction aneurysm had improvement in these symptoms, but developed a new diplopia. The fourth patient had worsening of her visual acuity, which had not resolved at the 1-month follow-up examination; this patient later underwent surgical decompression. Conclusions. On late follow-up review, the response was classified as complete resolution of symptoms in six patients (32%), improvement in eight patients (42%), no significant change in four patients (21%), and symptom worsening in one patient (5%). Patients with smaller aneurysms and those with shorter pretreatment duration of symptoms were more likely to experience an improvement in their symptoms following GDC treatment, although statistical significance was not reached in this series (p = 0.603 and p = 0.111, respectively). The presence of aneurysmal wall calcification (six patients) or intraluminal thrombus (12 patients) showed no correlation with the response of mass effect symptoms in these patients.


1998 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaka Sawamura ◽  
Hiroki Shirato ◽  
Jun Ikeda ◽  
Mitsuhiro Tada ◽  
Nobuaki Ishii ◽  
...  

Object. Although curative, radiation, which is conventionally administered for germinomas, causes significant neurological sequelae. This study aimed at reducing the volume and dose of radiation to a localized level of 24 Gy by pretreating the patient with chemotherapy. Methods. Seventeen patients were divided into two risk groups based on serological findings and the extent of tumor. They were treated with chemotherapy prior to receiving localized radiation therapy. Six patients with solitary pure germinomas were treated with three or four cycles of cisplatin and etoposide (EP regimen) followed by 24-Gy local radiation therapy. Eleven patients with human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)—secreting, multifocal, or disseminated germinomas received four to five cycles of ifosfamide, cisplatin, and etoposide (ICE regimen) followed by 24-Gy local radiation therapy. Craniospinal ports were used only in three cases of germinomas with dissemination. Gross-total resection was performed in three patients. Fourteen patients were able to be evaluated for their responses to chemotherapy. All patients achieved a complete response within three cycles. At a median follow-up duration of 24 months, 16 patients (94%) were alive without recurrence. One patient with an HCG-secreting germinoma experienced recurrence 38 months after surgery. That patient underwent successful salvage therapy using the same protocol. Thus, all 17 patients became free of disease with a 70 to 100% Karnofsky Performance Scale status. Toxicities associated with this study's chemotherapy regimen were mostly transient. No patient showed neurological or endocrinological deterioration during the follow-up period. Conclusions. The EP and ICE regimens were highly effective in treating the central nervous system germinomas and permitted dose and volume reduction of the radiotherapy. Localized 24-Gy irradiation was sufficient for disease control.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 917-926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Bampoe ◽  
Normand Laperriere ◽  
Melania Pintilie ◽  
Jennifer Glen ◽  
Johann Micallef ◽  
...  

Object. Until recently the assessment of outcome in patients treated for glioma has emphasized length of survival with the evaluation of quality of life (QOL) limited to unidimensional, mostly physical, measures. The authors report the multidimensional assessment of QOL as part of a randomized clinical trial of brachytherapy as a boost in the initial treatment of patients with glioblastoma multiforme.Methods. A questionnaire previously developed by the senior authors and psychometrically validated was completed by patients on randomized entry into the study and at follow-up review every 3 months thereafter. The questionnaire was presented in a linear-analog self-assessment format. Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) scores were also recorded on each occasion.No differences were found between patients in either arm of the study (conventional radiation therapy consisting of 50 Gy in 25 fractions or conventional radiation plus a brachytherapy boost of a minimum peripheral tumor dose of 60 Gy) in KPS and QOL scores during the 1st year of follow-up review. However, there was a statistically significant deterioration in patients' overall KPS scores during the 1st year of follow up compared with baseline scores. Of QOL items evaluated, statistically significant deteriorations were found in self care, speech, and concentration, and on subscale analyses, cognitive functioning and physical experience (symptoms) deteriorated significantly during the 1st year of follow up, compared with baseline values. The correlation between QOL and KPS scores was low.Conclusions. Future studies in patients harboring malignant gliomas must incorporate measures assessing QOL because traditional measures focusing on physical or neurological functioning give an incomplete assessment of the patient's experience.


2005 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
pp. 59-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark E. Linskey ◽  
Stephen A. Davis ◽  
Vaneerat Ratanatharathorn

Object.The authors sought to assess the respective roles of microsurgery and gamma knife surgery (GKS) in the treatment of patients with meningiomas.Methods.The authors culled from a 4-year prospective database data on 74 cases of meningiomas. Thirty-eight were treated with GKS and 35 with microsurgery. Simpson Grade 1 or 2 resection was achieved in 86.1% of patients who underwent microsurgery. Patients who underwent GKS received a mean margin dose of 16.4 Gy (range 14–20 Gy). The mean tumor coverage was 94.7%, and the mean conformity index was 1.76. Significant differences between the two treatment groups (GKS compared with microsurgery) included age (mean 60 compared with 50.7 years), volume (mean 7.85 cm3compared with 44.4 cm3), treatment history (55.3% compared with 14.3%), and tumor location (cavernous sinus/petroclival, 14 compared with three). The median follow up was 21.5 months (range 1.5–50 months). In patients with benign meningiomas GKS tumor control was 96.8% with one recurrence at the margin. The recurrence rate was zero of 27 for Simpson Grade 1 or 2 resection and three of four for higher grades in those patients who underwent microsurgery. There was no procedure-related mortality or permanent major neurological morbidity. The mean Karnofsky Performance Scale score was maintained for both forms of treatment. Symptoms improved in 48.4% of patients undergoing microsurgery and 16.7% of those who underwent GKS. Transient and permanent cranial nerve morbidity was 7.9 compared with 2.9%, and 5.3 compared with 8.5% for GKS and microsurgery, respectively. In a patient satisfaction survey 93.1% of microsurgery patients and 91.2% of GKS patients were highly satisfied.Conclusions.Both GKS and microsurgery serve important roles in the overall management of patients with meningiomas. Both are safe and effective and provide high degrees of satisfaction when used for differentially selected patients.


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