Endoscopic Endonasal Compared with Microscopic Transsphenoidal and Open Transcranial Resection of Craniopharyngiomas

Craniopharyngiomas have traditionally represented a challenge for open transcranial or transsphenoidal microscopic neurosurgery because of their anatomical location and proximity to vital neurovascular structures. The extended endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach has been more recently developed as a potentially surgically aggressive, yet minimal access, alternative. To gain a more comprehensive assessment of the benefits and limitations of the various approaches to resection of craniopharyngiomas, we performed a systematic review of the available published reports after endoscope-assisted endonasal approaches and compared their results with transsphenoidal purely microscope-based or transcranial microscope-based techniques. We performed a MEDLINE search of the modern literature (1995-2010) to identify open and endoscopic surgical series for pediatric and adult craniopharyngiomas. Comparisons were made for patient and tumor characteristics as well as extent of resection, morbidity, and visual outcome. Statistical analyses of categorical variables were undertaken by the use of χ2 and Fisher exact tests with post-hoc Bonferroni analysis to compare endoscopic, microsurgical transsphenoidal, and transcranial approaches. Eighty eight studies, involving 3470 patients, were included. The endoscopic cohort had a significantly greater rate of gross total resection (66.9% vs. 48.3%; P < 0.003) and improved visual outcome (56.2% vs. 33.1%; P < 0.003) compared with the open cohort. The transsphenoidal cohort had similar outcomes to the endoscopic group. The rate of cerebrospinal fluid leakage was greater in the endoscopic (18.4%) and transsphenoidal (9.0%) than in the transcranial group (2.6%; P < 0.003), but the transcranial group had a greater rate of seizure (8.5%), which did not occur in the endonasal or transsphenoidal groups (P < 0.003). The endoscopic endonasal approach is a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of certain craniopharyngiomas. Larger lesions with more lateral extension may be more suitable for an open approach, and further follow-up is needed to assess the long-term efficacy of this minimal access approach

Epidermoid tumors of the temporal lobe as epileptogenic foci

Intracerebral epidermoid tumors of the temporal lobe are exceedingly rare. The vast majority of these slow-growing tumors remain clinically silent while only a select few are associated with overt symptomatology. We report two patients with epidermoid tumors whose unique location in the temporal lobe resulted in secondarily generalized seizures. Our first patient, a 19-year-old female, presented with a secondarily generalized tonic–clonic seizure and MRI revealed a superior temporal lobe lesion that was subsequently treated with an awake craniotomy and gross total resection. Our second patient was a 71-year-old male with a recent seizure history and known left temporal lobe lesion. The patient underwent craniotomy for gross total resection of the mass. In these two patients, we found that MRI proved diagnostic and surgical resection was curative. Our clinical experience and review of the literature indicate that gross total resection of these lesions confers control of localization-related epilepsy

Endoscopic versus open approaches to the skull base: A comprehensive literature review

The surgical approach to the skull base has traditionally been transcranial, often involving extensive bone drilling, brain retraction, and nerve manipulation to expose pathology. The endoscopic endonasal approach represents a minimal access, maximally aggressive alternative that provides a direct route to the area of interest. Few data exist that can be used to compare these 2 surgical strategies. We conducted a systematic review of case series and case reports in hope of furthering our understanding of the role of endoscopy in the management of difficult cranial base lesions. We found that the endonasal endoscopic technique generates equivalent or greater rates of gross total resection than open approaches for craniopharyngiomas, clivalchordomas, odontoid resection, and tuberculumsellaemeningiomas. The rate of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks is greater for patients undergoing endoscopic surgery for anterior skull base meningiomas and craniopharyngiomas. There was no difference in the rate of CSF leak between approaches for clival chordoma resection or after odontoidectomy. Despite the increased risk of CSF leak, the risk of postoperative meningitis does not appear to be increased. Our systematic review supports the endonasal endoscopic approach as a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of a wide variety of skull base pathology, particularly small midline tumors. Careful patient selection and meticulous multilayer closure are critical to obtaining maximal resection and acceptably low CSF leak rates

Stereotactic radiosurgery of meningiomas following resection: Predictors of progression

Residual or recurrent meningiomas after initial surgical resection are commonly treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), but progression of these tumors following radiosurgery is difficult to predict. We performed a retrospective review of 60 consecutive patients who underwent resection and subsequent Gamma Knife (Elekta AB, Stockholm, Sweden) radiosurgery for residual or recurrent meningiomas at our institution from 2001–2012. Patients were subdivided by Simpson resection grade and World Health Organization (WHO) grade. Cox multivariate regression and Kaplan–Meier analyses were performed to assess risk of tumor progression. There were 45 men (75%) and 15 women (25%) with a median age of 56.8years (range 26.5–82years). The median follow-up period was 34.9months (range 6–108.4months). Simpson grade 1–3 resection was achieved in 17 patients (28.3%) and grade 4 resection in 43 patients (71.7%). Thirty-four tumors (56.7%) were WHO grade 1, and 22 (36.7%) were WHO grade 2–3. Time from resection to SRS was significantly shorter in patients with Simpson grade 4 resection compared to grade 1–3 resection (p2.5cm at the time of SRS (p=0.02) and increasing WHO grade (p<0.01) were predictive of progression in multivariate analysis. Simpson resection grade did not affect progression-free survival (p=0.90). The mortality rate over the study period was 8.3%. SRS offers effective tumor control for residual or recurrent meningiomas following resection, especially for small benign tumors

Sensitivity of the Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm Treatment Score (UIATS) in the Elderly: Retrospective Analysis of Ruptured Aneurysms

Background/Purpose: The prevalence of intracranial aneurysms, as well as the incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), increase with age, and the elderly have poor outcomes after SAH. Age is a key factor in the unruptured intracranial aneurysm treatment score (UIATS),but the sensitivity of the UIATS model in detecting risk of SAH among the elderly is unknown. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 153 consecutive cases of ruptured aneurysms between 2012 and 2018. We used Fisher\u27s exact test, analysis of variance, and multivariate logistic regression to compare outcomes between those \u3e65 years of age and those younger. We then applied the UIATS model and evaluated the sensitivity of the model as a predictor of SAH in the elderly compared with younger patients. Results: Elderly patients made up 32% (n = 49 of 153) of our cohort. They had significantly higher in-hospital mortality (19 of 49, 39%) than younger patients (14 of 104, 13%) (P \u3c 0.01). In a multivariate logistic regression, controlling for Hunt-Hess grade and comorbidities, age \u3e65 years remained a significant predictor of unfavorable outcome at discharge (P = 0.03). The UIATS model had low sensitivity in the elderly compared with younger patients: 63% (59 of 136) of younger patients would have been recommended aneurysm repair had their aneurysm been detected unruptured, compared with only 12% (5 of 42) of elderly patients \u3e65 years (P \u3c 0.01). Conclusions: Elderly patients \u3e65 years in age have far worse outcomes after SAH. The sensitivity of the UIATS model for detecting those at risk of SAH was significantly lower in elderly patients. The UIATS model may lead to undertreatment of elderly patients at risk of SAH

The Role of Radiosurgery to the Tumor Bed After Resection of Brain Metastases

Abstract BACKGROUND: Optimal postoperative management paradigm for brain metastases remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of the literature to understand the role of postoperative stereotactic radiosurgery after resection of brain metastases. METHODS: We performed a MEDLINE search of the literature to identify series of patients with brain metastases treated with stereotactic radiosurgery after surgical resection. Outcomes including overall survival, local control, distant intracranial failure, and salvage therapy use were recorded. Patient, tumor, and treatment factors were correlated with outcomes through the use of the Pearson correlation and 2-way Student t test as appropriate. RESULTS: Fourteen studies involving 629 patients were included. Median survival for all studies was 14 months. Local control was correlated with the median volume treated with radiosurgery (r = −0.766, P < .05) and with the rate of gross total resection (r = .728, P < .03). Mean crude local control was 83%; 1-year local control was 85%. Distant intracranial failure occurred in 49% of cases, and salvage whole-brain radiation therapy was required in 29% of cases. Use of a radiosurgical margin did not lead to increased local control or overall survival. CONCLUSION: Our systematic review supports the use of radiosurgery as a safe and effective strategy for adjuvant treatment of brain metastases, particularly when gross total resection has been achieved. With all limitations of comparisons between studies, no increase in local recurrence or decrease in overall survival compared with rates with adjuvant whole-brain radiation therapy was found

Adjuvant whole brain radiation following resection of brain metastases

Brain metastasis is a common complication of systemic cancer and significant cause of suffering in oncology patients. Despite a plethora of available treatment modalities, the prognosis is poor with a median survival time of approximately one year. For patients with controlled systemic disease, good performance status, and a limited number of metastases, treatment typically entails surgical resection or radiosurgery, followed by whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) to control microscopic disease. WBRT is known to control the progression of cancer in the brain, but it can also have toxic effects, particularly with regard to neurocognition. There is no consensus as to whether the benefit of WBRT outweighs the potential harm. We review the evidence related to the question of whether patients undergoing surgical resection of brain metastases should receive adjuvant WBRT