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Patients with meningiomas frequently exhibit impairments in executive functioning. There are few studies specifically examining the role of frontal meningioma localization in executive functioning impairments. This study examines whether frontally located meningiomas are specifically associated with executive functioning impairments in a large sample of meningioma patients before treatment, using an axis-wise and lobe-based approach to meningioma localization. We retrospectively examined cognitive performances in 353 patients with frontal, frontally-involved and non-frontal meningiomas on a battery of tests including tests of executive functioning. We applied an axis-based approach to meningioma location, in addition to qualitative lobe-based localization. We examined the association between meningioma coordinates on an anterior-posterior axis and continuous cognitive performance scores in univariate correlations and linear regression analyses. We also examined the association between meningioma coordinates on an anterior-posterior axis with cognitive impairments in multivariable logistic regression analyses. Meningioma position on the anterior-posterior axis was only univariately associated with mean performance on the Stroop test Interference ratio and Symbol Digit Coding task. There was no (multivariable) association with impairments on tests of executive or non-executive domains. Increased odds of impairment on executive functioning tasks were associated with left-localization (Verbal Fluency) and larger meningioma volumes (Shifting Attention). We did not find a specific relation between a frontal meningioma location and executive functioning impairments, which may be explained by widespread organization of executive functioning throughout the brain, diffuse cognitive effects of the mass of meningiomas, functional reorganization due to neuroplasticity, or functional involvement of less-anteriorly located frontal areas., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: The study was approved by the local ethics committee (METC Brabant, The Netherlands, file number NW2020-32). Consent for participation and publication: All patients provided written informed consent. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Objectives : We studied the clinical significance of an amplitude decrement and disappearance alarm criteria in transcranial motor-evoked potential (MEP) monitoring during surgeries on extramedullary tumors at the cervical spine with reference to postoperative morbidity. Material and Methods : We diagnosed and surgically treated fourteen patients with intradural extramedullary ventral or ventrolateral lesions to the cervical spinal cord in the Clinic of Neurosurgery at the University Hospital St Ivan Rilski from January 2018 to July 2022. Eight cases were diagnosed with schwannoma, and the remaining six had meningiomas. The follow-up period for neurological assessment was six months. Results : A decrease in the intraoperative transcranial MEPs of 50% or more compared to baseline in two cases (14.3%) resulted in an immediate postoperative motor deficit. One patient demonstrated full neurological recovery within six months, while the other exhibited only partial improvement. In six cases (42.9%) with preoperative motor deficits, tumor resection and decompression of the cervical spinal cord led directly to an increment of the transcranial MEPs by more than 20%. Postoperatively and at the 6-month follow-up, these patients showed recovery from the preoperative deficits. In the remaining cases, MEPs were stable during surgery with no clinical deterioration of the motor function. Conclusions : The decremented MEP criteria corresponded to postoperative motor deficit, whereas the improvement of the same parameters after decompression implied future recovery of preoperative motor deficits. The combination of different MEP criteria is likely to be helpful when tailored to a specific case of ventral or ventrolateral extramedullary lesions in the cervical spine.

Neuropsychological studies have demonstrated that meningioma patients frequently exhibit cognitive deficits before surgery and show only limited improvement after surgery. Combining neuropsychological with functional imaging measurements can shed more light on the impact of surgery on cognitive brain function. We aimed to evaluate whether surgery affects cognitive brain activity in such a manner that it may mask possible changes in cognitive functioning measured by neuropsychological tests. Twenty-three meningioma patients participated in a fMRI measurement using a verbal working memory task as well as three neuropsychological tests focused on working memory, just before and 3 months after surgery. A region of interest based fMRI analysis was used to examine cognitive brain activity at these timepoints within the central executive network and default mode network. Neuropsychological assessment showed impaired cognitive functioning before as well as 3 months after surgery. Neuropsychological test scores, in-scanner task performance as well as brain activity within the central executive and default mode network were not significantly different between both timepoints. Our results indicate that surgery does not significantly affect cognitive brain activity in meningioma patients the first few months after surgery. Therefore, the lack of cognitive improvement after surgery is not likely the result of compensatory processes in the brain. Cognitive deficits that are already present before surgery appear to be persistent after surgery and a considerable recovery period. Our study shows potential leads that comprehensive cognitive evaluation can be of added value so that cognitive functioning may become a more prominent factor in clinical decision making., (© 2024 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience published by Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Hearing loss is a common side effect of many tumor treatments. However, hearing loss can also occur as a direct result of certain tumors of the nervous system, the most common of which are the vestibular schwannomas (VS). These tumors arise from Schwann cells of the vestibulocochlear nerve and their main cause is the loss of function of NF2, with 95 % of cases being sporadic and 5 % being part of the rare neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)-related Schwannomatosis. Genetic variations in NF2 do not fully explain the clinical heterogeneity of VS, and interactions between Schwann cells and their microenvironment appear to be critical for tumor development. Preclinical in vitro and in vivo models of VS are needed to develop prognostic biomarkers and targeted therapies. In addition to VS, other tumors can affect hearing. Meningiomas and other masses in the cerebellopontine angle can compress the vestibulocochlear nerve due to their anatomic proximity. Gliomas can disrupt several neurological functions, including hearing; in fact, glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive subtype, may exhibit early symptoms of auditory alterations. Besides, treatments for high-grade tumors, including chemotherapy or radiotherapy, as well as incomplete resections, can induce long-term auditory dysfunction. Because hearing loss can have an irreversible and dramatic impact on quality of life, it should be considered in the clinical management plan of patients with tumors, and monitored throughout the course of the disease., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Meningioma (MGM) is the most common type of intracranial tumor in adults. The validation of novel prognostic biomarkers to better inform tumor stratification and clinical prognosis is urgently needed. Many molecular and cellular alterations have been described in MGM tumors over the past few years, providing a rational basis for the identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets. The role of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) as oncogenes, including those of the ErbB family of receptors, has been well established in several cancer types. Here, we review histological, molecular, and clinical evidence suggesting that RTKs, including the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR, ErbB1), as well as other members of the ErbB family, may be useful as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in MGM.

Objectives: Improvement of patient visual outcome is very important in the treatment of clinoidal meningioma (CLM). The purpose of this study is to determine the association between arachnoid preservation and visual outcome., Patients: Fifteen patients with CLMs that caused visual impairment underwent surgery in our hospital. The patients included 4 men and 11 women, and the mean age was 53.3 years., Methods: The clinical findings of these patients were retrospectively reviewed. We divided the patients into two groups based on the presence or absence of the arachnoid membrane. Group 1 comprised cases in which arachnoid preservation was intraoperatively confirmed. Group 2 comprised cases in which the arachnoid membrane was not preserved. The Landolt C chart was used to evaluate visual acuity, and dynamic visual field tests using Goldmann perimetry were used to evaluate the visual field. Results were compared before and after surgery., Results: The visual acuity of the ipsilateral eye was significantly improved in Group 1 (p = 0.038). There were no other significant differences between the two groups in terms of tumor volume, patient age, and symptom duration., Conclusions: Patients in which arachnoid preservation could be intraoperatively confirmed had good improvement in visual acuity. Further research with an increased number of cases is needed to confirm these findings., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: In surgery for meningiomas tumor location and extension is currently the only MRI characteristic used to predict the feasibility and difficulty of the resection. Key surgical tumor characteristics such as consistency and vascularity remain obscured until the tumor is exposed. We therefore aimed to identify MRI sequences able to predict these crucial meningioma features., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our imaging database on cranial meningiomas and correlated MRI T2W, T1W, and FLAIR images with the consistency and vascularity reported by the surgeon in the operative notes. The reported consistency was classified into three grades [°I (soft) to °III (hard)]. Vascularity was grouped into little (°I) versus strong (°II). MRI signal intensity (SI) ratios were calculated with ROIs in the meningioma, the buccinator muscle and the frontal white matter., Results: Of the 172 reviewed patients, 44 met the strict inclusion criteria with respect to the quality of the OR notes. The included meningiomas were located at the convexity (11/44), falcine (3/44), skull base (14/44), and posterior fossa (16/44). Twenty-four meningiomas (54.5%) were classified as consistency grade (°)I, seven (15.9%) °II, and thirteen (29.5%) °III. The grade of vascularization was little in 12 and strong in 14. The higher the ratio on T2W images the softer (p = 0.020) and the more vascularized (p = 0.001) the tumor presented., Discussion: T2W MR images may be helpful to characterize meningiomas with regard to the expected consistency and grade of vascularization.

The objective of this study was to calculate the risk of postsurgical hearing deterioration as a function of changes in the amplitude and latency of the most stable components (waves III and V) of the auditory evoked potential (AEP) during petroclival meningioma resection surgery. We retrospectively analyzed intraoperative AEP monitoring results and pre- and postsurgical hearing status in 40 consecutive patients who were surgically treated for petroclival meningiomas. Statistical analyses were conducted to identify the most sensitive and specific way to predict hearing dysfunction after surgery. Patients' mean age was 59 ± 10 years, and 31 (77.5%) were women. Twelve (30%) patients presented with clinically detectable hearing impairment preoperatively. At the first postoperative assessment, four of those 12 patients reported subjective improvement, and eight reported hearing deterioration. Of those eight, four remained stable and four recovered hearing by the last assessment. Wave III latency reached its highest specificity (100%) and sensitivity (71.43%) at x = 143%. Wave V latency, on the other hand, reached its highest sensitivity (71%) and specificity (93%) at x = 124%. Finally, wave V amplitude reached its highest sensitivity (100%) and specificity (79%) at x = 74%. Intraoperative alterations of wave III latency and wave V amplitude seem to be highly sensitive and specific at predicting the risk of auditory dysfunction in patients undergoing petroclival meningioma resection and should be used to determine maximum resection with preservation of function.

Meningiomas are common intracranial neoplasms with benign features, and extracranial metastases are very rare. There have been no previous reports of solitary mediastinal lymph node metastasis from benign meningiomas without pulmonary lesions. Here, we present a case of an 82-year-old female who visited our department for mediastinal lymphadenopathy with a history of meningioma treated with total surgical resection six years prior. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration of the left lower paratracheal lymph node revealed a benign meningothelial meningioma. In patients with a history of meningioma, extracranial metastasis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of mediastinal lymphadenopathy., (© 2021 The Authors. Thoracic Cancer published by China Lung Oncology Group and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Foot drop represents a very common reason for a neurologist referral and is often first seen in emergency departments or by a general practitioner. This condition is defined as weakness of ankle dorsiflexion (mainly through tibialis anterior muscle weakness). The most common causes include lower motor neuron lesion, with L4-L5 radiculopathy and peroneal neuropathy being the most frequent ones. Classical diagnostic pathway includes a thorough medical history, detailed neurological examination, radiological studies (MRI of the lumbosacral spine), EMG and nerve conduction studies, and a battery of laboratory tests. The absence of abnormal radiological and neurophysiological findings when searching for the most common causes of foot drop, should raise a red flag and broaden the diagnostic yield for central nervous system pathology (upper motor neuron, UMN) as a possible cause of foot drop. Central causes of isolated foot drop are very rare, with less than 20 cases reported in literature so far, and seven of them being a meningioma. We present a case of a 79-year-old female patient with an isolated foot drop (with no UMN signs on the initial examination) and parasagittal meningioma. Central causes of foot drop should be suspected when foot drop is associated with UMN signs on examination (hyperreflexia of the patellar or ankle jerk and extensor plantar reflex) and when standard diagnostic work-up (MRI of the lumbar spine, EMG and NCS, standard laboratory screening for most common causes of foot drop) is negative or inconclusive. Although very rare, central lesions present a far more serious cause of foot drop and require a more urgent diagnostic work up and a potential neurosurgical referral and treatment. Keeping in mind the possible central causes of foot drop would eliminate unnecessary diagnostic work up and avoid delayed diagnosis and treatment.

Background: Patients with spinal intradural extramedullary (IDEM) tumors usually have a good functional outcome after tumor excision. However, the literature is sparse on the functional outcome in patients with poor Nurick grade (NG 4 and 5)., Methods: A retrospective review of 81 patients with IDEM tumors presenting with a poor NG was performed to determine postoperative functional outcome and the temporal pattern of recovery. The following risk factors were analyzed: preoperative NG, duration of symptoms, tumor location, peritumoral edema, presence of syrinx, and tumor type., Results: Neurologic function started recovering soon after surgery, with >80% of the patients improving by ≥1 grade at the end of 1 week after surgery. Of the 66 patients available for follow-up of >6 months after surgery, 63 (95.5%) improved to NG 0-2 and 51 (77.2%) became asymptomatic (NG 0 or 1). Three patients had a poor functional outcome on follow-up of >31 months; 2 had improved from NG 5 to NG 4, whereas 1 patient continued to be in NG 4. Factors associated with a poor outcome were an upper thoracic location (P = 0.025) and presence of a syrinx (P = 0.004). None of the patients had bladder dysfunction at follow-up of >6 months., Conclusions: After excision of spinal IDEM tumors, in patients who present with a poor neurologic function (NG 4 and 5), good functional outcome (NG 0-2) can be expected in >95% of patients. No recovery can be anticipated beyond 1 year after surgery., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study established novel technique nuances in surgery for ventral foramen magnum meningiomas (vFMMs) via a dorsal lateral approach., Methods: From July 2012 to July 2019, 37 patients with vFMMs underwent tumor resection surgery and were operated on with a dorsal lateral approach. Two safe zones were selected as the entrance of the surgical corridor. Safe zone I was located between the dural attachment of the first dental ligament (FDL) and the branches of C1; safe zone II lay between the dural attachment of the FDL and the jugular foramen. The tumor was debulked first through safe zone I and then through safe zone II. The tumor was removed through a trajectory from the caudal to cephalad to allow tumor debulking from below and downward delivery, away from the brainstem and lower cranial nerves., Results: Thirty-three patients underwent gross total resection, and 4 patients underwent subtotal resection. Four patients transiently required a nasogastric feeding tube. All patients recovered within 3 months postoperatively. Three patients (8.1%) developed permanent mild hoarseness and dysphagia as a result of postoperative damage of cranial nerves IX and X. One patient underwent tracheotomy. No patient experienced tumor recurrence during the follow-up period., Conclusions: We established a minimal retraction principle, in which the selection of 2 safe zones as the entrance of the surgical corridor, tumor removal from the inferior to superior direction, and debulking followed by devascularization were the key elements to implement the minimal retraction principle in vFMM surgery., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background:  Clinical examination, including pre- and postoperative assessment of olfaction, is essential in evaluating surgical outcomes in patients with olfactory groove meningiomas (OGMs). A review of a recent series revealed a lack of assessment of olfaction in most of the studies. Tests determining olfactory detection should be used to reveal olfactory dysfunction. Specialized examination techniques (e.g., electro-olfactography, olfactory evoked potentials, and functional magnetic resonance imaging) are currently used in research., Methods:  Prospective analysis of 13 patients who underwent surgical resection of OGMs from December 2013 to December 2017 was performed. Data on clinical presentation, pre- and postoperative neurologic examinations, complications, recurrences, adjuvant treatment, and follow-up outpatient examinations were recorded. Olfactory function was assessed using the Sniffin' Sticks odor identification test preoperatively, postoperatively, and 1 year after surgery., Results:  All the meningiomas were resected via unilateral craniotomy, and gross total resection was achieved in all cases. Surgery-related permanent morbidity was 7.7% and overall mortality 0%. For the eight patients with preoperative normosmia, five remained normosmic (62.5%), one deteriorated to hyposmia (12.5%), and two deteriorated to anosmia (25%). For the two patients with preoperative hyposmia, one remained hyposmic and one deteriorated to anosmia. For the three anosmic patients, two remained anosmic, and one improved to hyposmia.The intact olfactory function preoperatively was associated with a better olfactory outcome. Overall, 62.5% of these patients remained normosmic, and none of the hyposmic or anosmic patients normalized their olfaction.Higher meningioma volume is associated with worse olfactory function before surgery (normosmia in 16.7% versus 100.0% in less voluminous) and following the surgery (normosmia in 16.7% versus 57.1% less voluminous).The unilateral surgical approach enabled the anatomical preservation of the contralateral olfactory nerve in 76.9% of our patients. Functional normosmia was achieved in 50% and hyposmia in 30% of these cases., Conclusions:  Assessment of olfactory function is both vital in preoperative decision making (surgical approach, radicality of resection) and when evaluating surgical outcome. Preoperative normosmia seems to be the most important prognostic factor for functional olfactory outcome. In normosmic patients the olfaction was preserved in 62.5% of cases. Moreover, higher meningioma volume is associated with worse olfactory function before and following the surgery. The greatest advantage of the unilateral surgical approach is anatomical preservation of the contralateral olfactory nerve with a satisfactory functional outcome. These results support a proactive approach, with early surgical resection using a unilateral approach even in cases with less voluminous OGMs that enables the preservation of olfactory function in a significant proportion of patients., Competing Interests: None declared., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Meningiomas are common intracranial tumors, and most exhibit optimal prognosis; however, some meningiomas still recur and even develop malignant transformation in the following years, regardless of initial pathological grade. During these years, autophagy raises its significance in tumorigenesis and tumor suppression, both important for tumor development. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between two autophagy markers, LC3B and beclin 1, with clinical and pathological parameters in patients with meningiomas. A total of 77 thin-sectioned slides, retrospectively collected from meningioma patients, were analyzed and correlated with clinicopathological parameters. We found that expression of beclin 1 rather than LC3B correlated to better prognosis, lower pathological grade, and longer survival. Furthermore, intensity of beclin 1 was also found to be significantly related to the pathological grade. These findings indicated that beclin 1 as a protective factor predicts better prognosis and plays the role of tumor suppression in meningiomas., (© 2019 APMIS. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Tuberculum sellae meningiomas frequently extend into the optic canals, which leads to a progressive longitudinal visual loss. Therefore, in addition to tumor removal, unroofing and exploration inside the optic canal are important procedures., Objective: To perform endoscopic endonasal tumor removal with optic canal decompression for small primary or recurrent meningiomas associated with a progressive visual loss at the inferior-medial optic canal, which corresponded to a blind corner in the ipsilateral pterional/subfrontal approach., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 2 cases of primary meningiomas that arose in the inferior-medial optic canal and 4 recurrent cases from the remnant inside the medial optic canal that had previously undergone craniotomy for tuberculum sellae meningiomas, and were treated by the endoscopic endonasal approach., Results: All tumors were detectable and could be removed without manipulation of the affected optic nerve. The average maximum diameter of the tumor was 8.4 mm (range: 5-12 mm). Two patients who had a long history of progressive visual disturbance and papillary atrophy did not recover from severe visual disturbances postoperatively. However, others showed considerable improvement, maintaining postoperative visual function during follow-up. There were no postoperative complications., Conclusion: Endoscopic endonasal approach has several advantages for meningiomas in the medial optic canal and associated with progressive visual disturbance. In surgery of tuberculum sellae meningiomas, optic canal decompression and exploration inside the optic canal are important procedures to avoid symptomatic recurrence, which may be facilitated by the endoscopic endonasal approach. Papillary atrophy and duration of visual deterioration are predictive factors for postoperative visual outcomes., (Copyright © 2019 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.)

Background/aim: Fractionated conformal radiotherapy (FCRT) is now used to treat vision-threatening optic nerve sheath meningioma (ONSM), but long-term efficacy and safety data are lacking; the purpose of this study was to assess these key data., Methods: This is a retrospective chart review with prospective follow-up of adult patients treated with FCRT for primary ONSM at four academic medical centres between 1995 and 2007 with ≥10 years of follow-up after treatment., Results: 16 patients were identified with a mean post-treatment follow-up of 14.6 years (range: 10.5-20.7 years). The mean age at symptom onset was 47.6 years (range: 36-60 years). FCRT was performed at a mean of 2.3 years after symptom onset (range: 0.2-14.0 years). At last follow-up, visual acuity had improved or stabilised in 14 of the 16 (88%) patients, and 11 (69%) had retained or achieved ≥20/40. The mean deviation on automated perimetry remained stable (-14.5 dB pretreatment vs -12.2 dB at last follow-up; p=0.68, n=10). Two (11%) patients had persistent pain, proptosis or diplopia, compared with six (38%) pretreatment (p=0.11). Two (13%) patients developed radiation retinopathy more than 6 months after completion of therapy, one (50%) of whom had worse visual acuity compared with pretreatment. No patient developed tumour involvement or radiation damage in the fellow eye., Conclusion: FCRT stabilises or improves visual function in patients with primary ONSM and is associated with a low risk of significant ocular sequelae. This treatment should be considered instead of surgery in patients with primary ONSM who require intervention due to loss of visual sensory and/or ocular motor function., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Intracranial meningioma is the most common brain tumor operated in the 2 teaching hospitals in Ethiopia. This study reviews the clinical outcome of intracranial meningiomas in a resource-limited setup., Methods: This is a retrospective study undertaken at 2 neurosurgical teaching hospitals: Black Lion Specialized Hospital and Myungsung Christian Medical Center. It includes all operated patients with intracranial meningioma during the time period January 2009 to December 2013. Patient data regarding sociodemographics, presenting complaint, focal neurologic deficit, preoperative imaging, postoperative neurologic findings, intraoperative findings, and histopathologic results were collected and analyzed., Results: A total of 91 patients were enrolled in the study. Tumor size was estimated in 79 cases (86.8%). Fifty-one tumors (64.6%) were >5 cm in diameter, whereas 28 (35.4%) were ≤5 cm. Only 4 patients had tumors <3 cm (5.1%). Tumor size was shown to be related to postoperative functional outcome (P = 0.032). The surgical mortality rate, which was defined as death within 1 month, was 14.3%. Among 88 patients with a postoperative Karnofsky Performance Status Scale score, 43% achieved a postoperative score ≥70., Conclusions: Meningioma size determines the outcome of the patients. It was shown that the functional outcome of patients is encouraging even though further improvement on neurosurgical care is needed., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Meningiomas that arise from the cranial nerve are rare. We present a case with an intradural extramedullary tumor at the foramen magnum originating from the spinal accessory nerve., Case Description: The patient was a 69-year-old woman with dizziness and pain in the bilateral shoulder for 2 years. Neurologic examination revealed spinal accessory nerve palsy (difficult in raising the shoulder, deficit of 3/5) on the left side without further deficits. Magnetic resonance imaging showed medullar compression because of a left intradural extramedullary foramen magnum lesion dorsolateral to the medulla. Surgical exposure via a midline suboccipital approach with C1 laminectomy revealed that the lesion arises from the left accessory nerve without dural attachment. The tumor was resected without injury to the spinal accessory nerve, and histologic examination revealed that it was a meningothelial meningioma. The spinal accessory nerve palsy improved to 4 of 5 after 3 months after surgery., Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report of an accessory nerve meningioma at the foramen magnum in which the spinal accessory nerve palsy appeared before operation and improved after tumor resection., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objectives: An accurate and real-time model of soft tissue is critical for surgical simulation for which a user interacts haptically and visually with simulated patients. This paper focuses on the real-time deformation model of brain tissue for the interactive surgical simulation, such as neurosurgical simulation., Methods: A new Finite Element Method (FEM) based model with constraints is proposed for the brain tissue in neurosurgical simulation. A new energy function of constraints characterizing the interaction between the virtual instrument and the soft tissue is incorporated into the optimization problem derived from the implicit integration scheme. Distance and permanent deformation constraints are introduced to describe the interaction in the convexity meningioma dissection and hemostasis. The proposed model is particularly suitable for GPU-based computing, making it possible to achieve real-time performance., Results and Conclusions: Simulation results show that the simulated soft tissue exhibits the behaviors of adhesion and permanent deformation under the constraints. Experiments show that the proposed model is able to converge to the exact solution of the implicit Euler method after 96 iterations. The proposed model was implemented in the development of a neurosurgical simulator, in which surgical procedures such as dissection of convexity meningioma and hemostasis were simulated., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Olfactory dysfunction represents a main symptom in olfactory groove meningiomas (OGM). Besides this, olfactory function has been sparsely investigated in patients suffering from supratentorial meningiomas. Here, the authors explore pre- and postoperative variables associated with olfactory dysfunction in supratentorial meningioma patients. This is a retrospective study on supratentorial meningioma patients who underwent meningioma resection between January 2015 and January 2016. Preoperative and postoperative olfactory performance was quantified using a lateralized sniffin' stick odor identification test. Meningiomas affecting the olfactory system (n = 23) were compared to meningiomas in other locations among the control group (n = 40). Meningiomas that affected the olfactory system had odds of 3.6 and 3.7 in being associated with ipsilateral (lesional) and bilateral anosmia, respectively. Subgroup analysis revealed that meningiomas causing a midline shift across the frontal base and older age represented risk factors for preoperative anosmia. The odds of experiencing acquired postoperative ipsilateral anosmia were significantly increased in olfactory system affecting meningiomas (OR 11.1). Subgroup analysis highlighted OGMs to represent the predominant location associated with deterioration. General surgical complications predisposed patients to loss of contralateral (OR 12.3) and bilateral olfactory function (OR 27.8). Older age and meningiomas causing a midline shift across the frontal base predispose patients to preoperative olfactory dysfunction. Resection of OGMs and surgical complications are risk factors for postoperative olfactory deterioration to anosmia. Likely, olfactory dysfunction is underrecognized even in OGMs. In OGM surgery, however, preoperative lateralized testing might be critical to selecting an appropriate surgical route to preserve olfactory function. Clin. Anat. 32:524-533, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

There is controversy regarding the surgical route selection for tuberculum sellae meningiomas (TSMs): the transsphenoidal (TS) or transcranial (TC) approach? We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare clinical outcomes and postoperative complications between two surgical approaches. Literature search was performed. Relevant articles were selected and evaluated. Data were extracted and analyzed. Eight articles comprising 550 patients met the inclusion criteria. Traditionally, the rates of gross total resection, tumor recurrence, visual improvement, and cerebrospinal fluid leakage were the most common outcomes of interest. We demonstrated that the TS approach was significantly associated with better visual outcomes but more frequent cerebrospinal fluid leakage, while the rates of tumor resection and recurrence showed no significant difference between groups. In addition to surgical results that were consistent with previous studies, we further evaluated the impact of approach selection on common postoperative complications, which were closely related to the recovery course and quality of life. We revealed that the risk of dysosmia was significantly higher in the TS group. There was no significant difference between groups regarding infection, intracranial hemorrhage, and endocrine disorders. Because of the relatively low evidence levels of included retrospective studies, it was difficult to reach a categorical conclusion about the optimal surgical approach for TSMs. Finally, we recommended that the TS approach was an alternative option in patients with smaller TSMs (<30 mm) and limited invasion of optic canals in experienced neurosurgical centers.

Objective: We investigated seizure outcomes of patients with supratentorial meningiomas (ST-MNGs) treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)., Methods: One hundred and thirty-three patients with a total of 144 ST-MNGs, who were treated with SRS between 2009 and 2016, were included in this study. The mean age was 59.0 ± 11.9 years (range, 13-87 years). The mean follow-up duration was 49.8 ± 24.5 months (range, 9-96 months). The median tumor volume was 2.60 cm 3 (range, 0.06-32.40 cm 3 ), and the median marginal dose was 14.0 Gy (range, 11.0-20.0 Gy). Postradiosurgery peritumoral edema (PRPTE) was developed in 43 lesions (29.9%)., Results: New seizure attacks developed in 16 patients (12.0%) after SRS (first seizure attack in 14 [87.5%]; seizure aggravation in 2 [12.5%]). In 15 patients with new seizure attacks (93.8%), PRPTE was proved on magnetic resonance imaging. The mean interval between SRS and new seizure attack was 6.6 ± 7.1 (range, 0.23-28.8) months. Simple partial seizure was the most common type of seizure (n = 9 [56.3%]). Five patients (31.3%) were seizure-free with antiepileptic drug (AED) medication (3 [18.8%] withdrew AEDs during the follow-up period); however, the remaining 11 patients (68.7%) did not achieve seizure-free outcomes even with AED medication. Moreover, seizures became intractable in 8 patients (50.0%). From multivariate analysis, the significant predictors of post-SRS seizure attack were PRPTE (odds ratio, 53.99; 95% confidence interval, 5.214-559.1; P = 0.001) and brain-tumor contact-surface index (odds ratio, 2.466; 95% confidence interval, 1.183-5.138; P = 0.016)., Conclusions: The clinical outcomes of seizures after SRS for ST-MNGs fall short of our expectation, and seizures seem to be uncontrollable and even intractable., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: For localization of the motor cortex, seed-based resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) uses the contralateral motor cortex as a seed. However, research has shown that the location of the motor cortex could differ according to anatomical variations. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of rsfMRI using two seeds: a template seed (the anatomically expected location of the contralateral motor cortex) and a functional seed (the actual location of the contralateral motor cortex determined by task-based functional MRI [tbfMRI])., Materials and Methods: Eight patients (4 with glioma, 3 with meningioma, and 1 with arteriovenous malformation) and 9 healthy volunteers participated. For the patients, tbfMRI was performed unilaterally to activate the healthy contralateral motor cortex. The affected ipsilateral motor cortices were mapped with rsfMRI using seed-based and independent component analysis (ICA). In the healthy volunteer group, both motor cortices were mapped with both-hands tbfMRI and rsfMRI. We compared the results between template and functional seeds, and between the seed-based analysis and ICA with visual and quantitative analysis., Results: For the visual analysis, the functional seed showed significantly higher scores compared to the template seed in both the patients ( p = 0.002) and healthy volunteers ( p < 0.001). Although no significant difference was observed between the functional seed and ICA, the ICA results showed significantly higher scores than the template seed in both the patients ( p = 0.01) and healthy volunteers ( p = 0.005). In the quantitative analysis, the functional seed exhibited greater similarity to tbfMRI than the template seed and ICA., Conclusion: Using the contralateral motor cortex determined by tbfMRI as a seed could enhance visual delineation of the motor cortex in seed-based rsfMRI., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.

Ki-67/MIB-1 is the most widely used immumohistochemical marker to measure cell proliferation in recent years, and its high expression is significantly related to high malignancy and short survival cycle. This meta-analysis was conducted to confirm the prognostic value of Ki-67/MIB-1 in meningioma patients. A comprehensive search was carried out of mainstream electronic databases including Pubmed, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, and finally 10 studies containing 1,414 meningioma patients were included in the meta-analysis. The combined hazard ratio (HR) and its 95% confident intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the association between Ki-67/MIB-1 expression and survival. High expression of Ki-67/MIB-1 was found to be significantly associated with low RFS (HR 3.31, 95% CI 1.62-6.78, P = 0.001, random effect) and PFS(HR 3.14, 95% CI 1.64-6.00, P = 0.001, fixed effect). Subgroup analysis was conducted to explore the potential heterogeneity. Results of the meta-analysis indicated that high expression of Ki-67/MIB-1 may serve as a useful biomarker for poor prognosis in meningioma patients.

OBJECTIVEThe objective of this study was to assess hearing function after Gamma Knife treatment of cerebellopontine angle (CPA) meningiomas and assess factors affecting hearing outcome. Additionally, the authors opted to compare these results with those after Gamma Knife treatment of vestibular schwannomas (VSs), because most of the information on hearing outcome after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) comes from reports on VS treatment. Hearing preservation, to the best of the authors' knowledge, has never been separately addressed in studies involving Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for CPA meningiomas.METHODSThis study included all patients who underwent a single session of GKRS between 2002 and 2014. The patients were divided into two groups. Group A included 66 patients with CPA meningiomas with serviceable hearing and tumor extension into the region centered on the internal auditory meatus. Group B included 144 patients with VSs with serviceable hearing. All patients had serviceable hearing before treatment (Gardner-Robertson [GR] Grades I and II). The median prescription dose was 12 Gy (range 10-12 Gy) in both groups. The median follow-up of groups A and B was 42 months (range 6-149 months) and 49 months (range 6-149 months), respectively.RESULTSAt the last follow-up, the tumor control rate was 97% and 94% in groups A and B, respectively. Hearing preservation was defined as maintained serviceable hearing according to GR hearing score. The hearing preservation rate was 98% and 66% and the 7-year actuarial serviceable hearing preservation rate was 75% and 56%, respectively, between both groups. In group A, the median maximum cochlear dose in the patients with stable and worsened hearing grade was 6.3 Gy and 5.5 Gy, respectively. In group B, factors affecting hearing preservation were cochlear dose ≤ 7 Gy, follow-up duration, and tumor control. The only determinant of hearing preservation between both groups was tumor type.CONCLUSIONSGKRS for CPA meningiomas provides excellent hearing preservation in addition to high tumor control rate. Hearing outcome is better with CPA meningiomas than with VSs. Further long-term prospective studies on determinants of hearing outcome after GKRS for CPA meningiomas should be conducted.

Introduction: Meningioma patients often have subtle cognitive deficits that might be attributed to the tumor itself, to surgical treatment, or to the occurrence of seizures and their treatment. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) analysis of resting-state functional networks (RSNs) could help to understand the neurophysiological basis of cognitive impairment in these patients. We explored the correlation between RSN functional connectivity and topology of functional networks on the one hand, and cognition on the other hand in WHO grade I meningioma patients., Methods: Twenty adult WHO grade I meningioma patients who had undergone tumor resection, as well as 20 healthy matched controls, were included. Neuropsychological assessment was done through a standardized test battery. MEG data were recorded, and projected to the anatomical space of the Automated Anatomical Labeling atlas. Functional connectivity (PLI), within the default mode network (DMN) and the bilateral frontoparietal networks were correlated to cognitive performance. Minimum spanning tree (MST) characteristics were correlated with cognitive functioning., Results: Compared to healthy controls, meningioma patients had lower working memory capacity (p = 0.037). Within the patient group, lower working memory performance was associated with lower DMN connectivity and a lower maximum MST degree in the theta band (resp. p = 0.044 and p = 0.003)., Conclusions: This study shows that cognitive functioning is correlated with functional connectivity in the default mode network and hub-pathology in WHO grade I meningioma patients. Future longitudinal studies are needed to corroborate these findings and to further investigate the pathophysiology of cognitive deficits and possible changes in functional brain networks in meningioma patients.

OBJECTIVEHistorically, descriptions of visual acuity and visual field change following intracranial procedures have been very rudimentary. Clinicians and researchers have often used basic descriptions, such as "improved," "worsened," and "unchanged," to describe outcomes following resections of tumors affecting the optic apparatus. These descriptors are vague, difficult to quantify, and challenging to apply in a clinical perspective. Several groups have attempted to combine visual acuity and visual fields into a single assessment score, but these are not user-friendly. The authors present a novel way to describe a patient's visual function as a combination of visual acuity and visual field assessment that is simple to use and can be used by surgeons and researchers to gauge visual outcomes following tumor resection.METHODSVisual acuity and visual fields were combined into 3 categories designed around the definitions of legal blindness and fitness to drive in Canada. The authors then applied the scale (the Unified Visual Function Scale, or UVFS) to their previously published case series of perisellar meningiomas to document and test overall visual outcomes for patients undergoing tumor resection. The results were compared with previously documented visual loss scales in the literature.RESULTSUsing the UVFS the authors were able to capture the overall visual change; the scale was sensitive enough to define the overall visual improvement or worsening quantitatively, using categories that are clinically relevant and understandable.CONCLUSIONSThe UVFS is a robust way to assess a patient's vision, combining visual fields and acuity. The implementation of pre- and postoperative assessment is sensitive enough to assess overall change while also providing clinically relevant information for surgeons, and allows for comparisons between treatment groups.

Objective: Peri- and postoperative time course of meningioma patients who had undergone surgical treatment was evaluated to determine prognostic factors of neurological outcome by focusing on preoperative parameters., Material and Methods: A retrospective monocenter analysis was performed including patients who were operated in the Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Leipzig, from 2009 to 2015. Data from all patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of intracranial meningioma treated microsurgically were included in the study. The individual characteristics of the patients, meningiomas and Karnofsky Performance scores (KPS) were analyzed by multivariate tests., Results: Two hundred ninety-four patients with a median age of 61 years (range: 17-89) were included. Preoperative KPS (p < 0.001), skull base as tumor origin and tumor size (p < 0.05) proved to be significantly strong prognostic factors of KPS deterioration one year postoperative by multivariate analysis. According to uni- and bivariate analysis, the following prognostic factors could also be found: preoperative mass displacement, preexisting recurrence and presence of preoperative symptoms. In this study, age had no significant influence on deterioration in patient health state, measured by KPS, one year postoperative., Conclusion: Patients generally obtained an improvement in KPS score after microsurgical treatment. The knowledge of prognostic factors can be very helpful in the decision-making process for meningioma treatment of the elderly, particularly to estimate the postoperative outcome and quality of life., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: To analyze the expression of β-catenin and N-cadherin in large series of meningioma cases and to investigate their correlation with peritumoral brain edema (PTBE)., Materials and Methods: Study group consists of 154 patients diagnosed with intracranial meningioma divided into: low-grade (G1) and high-grade (G2 or G3) group. PTBE was graded into four groups (0, I, II, III) using Steinhoff classification. The expression of N-cadherin, β-catenin was analyzed and graded based on the positive ratio of immunoreactivity. The results were analyzed statistically., Results: 104 cases were low-grade and 50 high-grade meningiomas. PTBE was observed in 103(66.8 %) cases: 57 grade I, 44 grade II and 2 grade III. Positive N-cadherin expression was found only in the membrane of the neoplastic cells in 50(48.1%) cases of low-grade, and in 34(68%) of high-grade group. In low-grade meningioma, β-catenin expression was observed within the cytoplasm and nucleus in 54(51.9%) cases. In high-grade meningiomas, β-catenin expression was observed in 33(66%) tumors only within the nucleus. N-cadherin expression was observed in 36 cases with PTBE grade I, 28 with grade II and 2 with grade III. β-catenin expression was observed in 40 cases with PTBE grade I, 24 with grade II and 2 with grade III. The results were statistically significant., Conclusions: Significant N-cadherin expression especially in high-grade meningioma group was found. β-catenin expression was the most evident in the nucleus rather than in cytoplasm. The degree of PTBE correlated with the N-cadherin and β-catenin expression and was the most prominent in high-grade meningioma group.

Background: Meningioma growing into an arachnoid cyst is an extremely rare event. Only 3 cases are reported in the literature. In 2 of them, an operative procedure in or near the arachnoid cyst preceded tumor growth., Case Description: We report a case of a patient requiring marsupialization of an arachnoid cyst of the middle cranial fossa. On follow-up, 3 years postoperatively he showed no signs of recurrence or tumor growth. One year later, the fourth year after surgery on the cyst, he presented with large tumor growth into the former cyst's cavity. Pathologic workup after resection revealed an atypical meningioma (World Health Organization grade II)., Conclusions: We discuss the possible pathogenesis in light of the scarce published literature, as well as the differential diagnosis of this rapidly growing tumor., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Presurgical planning for brain tumor resection aims at delineating eloquent tissue in the vicinity of the lesion to spare during surgery. To this end, noninvasive neuroimaging techniques such as functional MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging fiber tracking are currently employed. However, taking into account this information is often still insufficient, as the complex nonlinear dynamics of the brain impede straightforward prediction of functional outcome after surgical intervention. Large-scale brain network modeling carries the potential to bridge this gap by integrating neuroimaging data with biophysically based models to predict collective brain dynamics. As a first step in this direction, an appropriate computational model has to be selected, after which suitable model parameter values have to be determined. To this end, we simulated large-scale brain dynamics in 25 human brain tumor patients and 11 human control participants using The Virtual Brain, an open-source neuroinformatics platform. Local and global model parameters of the Reduced Wong-Wang model were individually optimized and compared between brain tumor patients and control subjects. In addition, the relationship between model parameters and structural network topology and cognitive performance was assessed. Results showed (1) significantly improved prediction accuracy of individual functional connectivity when using individually optimized model parameters; (2) local model parameters that can differentiate between regions directly affected by a tumor, regions distant from a tumor, and regions in a healthy brain; and (3) interesting associations between individually optimized model parameters and structural network topology and cognitive performance.

This study essentially aims to contribute to the immunohistochemical investigation of the use of pituitary tumor transforming gene (PTTG) as a marker of cell proliferation or advanced tumor grade in meningiomas of various WHO grades. In all, 51 cases were recovered in total, 21 Grade-I, 23 Grade-II and 7 Grade-III meningiomas. Mitotic index (MI), Ki-67/MiB-1 positivity percentage and PTTG expression were analyzed in correlation to each other as well as to the tumor WHO grades. All three biomarkers showed a high diagnostic significance and a strong association with WHO grades. In comparison, PTTG expression was on a par with the other two indices, and performed very well regarding identification of advanced grade tumors. PTTG may be considered an important diagnostic tool and serve in the future as a novel prognosticator of the biological behavior of all grade meningiomas as well as a useful high-risk patient selection tool., (© 2018 APMIS. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Over the last three decades, the development of systematic and protocol-based algorithms, and advances in available diagnostic tests have become the indispensable parts of practising medicine. Naturally, despite the implementation of meticulous protocols involving diagnostic tests or even trials of empirical therapies, the cause of one's symptoms may still not be obvious. We herein report a case of chronic back pain, which took about 5 years to get accurately diagnosed. The case challenges the diagnostic assumptions and sets ground of discussion for the diagnostic reasoning pitfalls and heuristic biases that mislead the caring physicians and cost years of low quality of life to our patient. This case serves as an example of how anchoring heuristics can interfere in the diagnostic process of a complex and rare entity when combined with a concurrent potentially life-threatening condition., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Background: Meningioma is the most common primary intracranial tumor and patients present with diverse neurologic symptoms related to meningioma location. This study aimed to systematically quantify the presenting symptoms of meningioma and identify prognostic factors for symptomatic outcome following resection., Methods: Two-hundred and eighty-three patients who underwent resection of a total of 313 meningiomas at a single institution were retrospectively identified, including 161 World Health Organization grade I (52.6%), 108 grade II (35.5%), and 37 grade III meningiomas (12.1%). Patient-reported symptoms were extracted from the medical record and dichotomized into acute (<3 months) and long-term (3-12 months) categories. The χ 2 test and multivariate regression were used to compare groups., Results: Patients presented primarily with headaches (48.2%) and either cerebral dysfunctions (48.5%) with convexity meningiomas or cranial nerve deficits (38.9%) with skull base meningiomas. Symptomatic improvement in the acute postoperative period was significantly correlated with long term symptomatic improvement (P ≤ 0.01). Headaches and seizures had the greatest rates of symptomatic improvement after surgery (78%), and the vast majority of patients with symptom improvement experienced complete resolution (86%). In contrast, symptoms persisted in >60% of patients with anosmia, sensory changes, or frontal, temporal, or cerebellar symptoms. Multivariate regression identified subtotal resection as a prognostic factor for persistent symptoms (odds ratio, 0.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.03-1.21; P = 0.041)., Conclusions: Symptoms improve in the majority of patients after resection of meningioma, with the rate of improvement varying according to symptom type and extent of resection. These data may be a useful when counseling patients about symptoms after resection of meningiomas., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare, non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis that typically occurs in middle-aged patients. It is usually characterized by multifocal osteosclerotic lesions of the long-bones, however many cases have extraskeletal involvement. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement is common, but isolated CNS involvement at presentation has rarely been reported., Case Description: Here we report two cases of dural-based ECD mimicking meningioma on imaging with no other identified sites of disease., Conclusion: ECD is a rare disease, with isolated CNS involvement reported only a few times in the literature. The significance of this presentation requires additional study and long-term follow up., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A 38-year-old woman presented with rapidly worsening, painless right monocular vision loss. An examination revealed a visual acuity of 1.4/10 and a central scotoma in the right eye. The orbital magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a well-delineated ovoid intraconal mass of the right eye, hyperintense on T2-weighted MRI with homogenous enhancement after contrast injection. The mass abutted and displaced the optic nerve. A diagnosis of cavernous hemangioma was evoked, which is the most common benign adult orbital mass with these MRI features. A biopsy was performed, and the histopathologic examination yielded a diagnosis of optic nerve sheath meningioma based on a positive antiprogesterone receptor antibody immunostaining. Our case highlights the problem with establishing a specific pathologic diagnosis based on MRI alone, even though the morphologic aspect is evocative. It is recommended to always conduct a histopathologic examination before establishing a specific diagnosis as pathology remains the gold standard, especially when the course of action or treatment may change, as in our case., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Seizures in rare atypical and malignant meningiomas were significantly under-studied. Our aim was to examine the rates, predictors, and seizure control in these meningiomas, and to analyze associations between clinical characteristics and seizure free survival (SFS) following surgical resection in an Asian population., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 102 patients with atypical or malignant meningiomas. Seizures occurring before and after the operation were reviewed. We compared demographic data and clinical characteristics including anti-epileptic drug (AED) treatment to extract potential risk factors for seizures., Results: Preoperative and postoperative early seizures occurred in 15 (14.7%) and 13 (12.7%) patients, respectively. All preoperative seizures occurred with tumors located at the convexity or parasagittal area (P = .001) and were influenced by peritumor edema (P = .027). Preoperative seizures were predictive of early seizures occurrence postoperatively (P = .016). Twenty-one patients (20.6%) had late seizures postoperatively. SFS was influenced by preoperative seizures, tumor location, AED use, and tumor relapse (P = .003, .001, .013, and .046, respectively). Among 15 patients with preoperative seizures, malignant meningiomas were associated with shorter SFS than atypical meningiomas (P = .001). Fifty one of 87 patients without preoperative seizures had prophylactic AEDs, and none had early seizures (P = .001). Gross total resection (GTR) of tumors induced more new-onset seizure than subtotal resection (P = .045)., Conclusion: Convexity and parasagittal area tumors as well as peritumor edema induce seizures. Preoperative seizures and tumor relapse predict seizures postoperatively. AEDs treatment improves SFS, and prophylactic AEDs eliminate early seizures after surgery. GTR has negative impact to seizure control., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The Simpson grading system has played an important role in surgical resections of meningiomas. The aim of this study was to determine if this grading system predicts meningioma recurrence in a modern cohort of patients with tumors of all World Health Organization grades., Methods: Adult patients who underwent primary, nonbiopsy resection of a meningioma at a tertiary care institution between 2007 and 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Stepwise multivariate proportional hazard analyses were used to identify associations with recurrence after resection. Log-rank analyses were used to compare Kaplan-Meier plots for time to recurrence between each Simpson grade., Results: Of 572 patients who met inclusion criteria, 72 (12.6%) presented with recurrence. Factors associated with recurrence after gross total resection (Simpson grades I-III) were non-World Health Organization grade I (hazard ratio [HR] [95% confidence interval (CI)] 6.215 [2.864-12.419], P < 0.0001) and preoperative neurologic deficits (HR [95% CI] 2.862 [1.512-5.499], P = 0.001). Factors associated with recurrence after subtotal resections (Simpson IV) were African American race (HR [95% CI] 2.776 [1.232-5.890], P = 0.02) and parafalcine location (HR [95% CI] 3.956 [1.624-8.775], P = 0.004). Simpson grade was not an independent risk factor for recurrence., Conclusions: Identification and consideration of factors associated with recurrence after gross total or subtotal resections may help guide treatment strategies for patients with meningiomas., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To the authors' knowledge, limited data exist regarding long-term quality of life (QOL) for patients diagnosed with intracranial meningioma., Methods: The data in the current study concerned 1722 meningioma cases diagnosed among residents of Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, Texas, and North Carolina from May 1, 2006 through March 14, 2013, and 1622 controls who were frequency matched to the cases by age, sex, and geography. These individuals were participants in a large, population-based, case-control study. Telephone interviews were used to collect data regarding QOL at the time of initial diagnosis or contact, using the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 Health Survey. QOL outcomes were compared by case/control status., Results: Patients diagnosed with meningioma reported levels of physical, emotional, and mental health functioning below those reported in a general healthy population. Case participants and controls differed most significantly with regard to the domains of Physical and Social Functioning, Role-Physical, Role-Emotional, and Vitality., Conclusions: In the current study, patients with meningioma experienced statistically significant decreases in QOL compared with healthy controls of a similar demographic breakdown, although these differences were found to vary in clinical significance. Cancer 2018;124:161-6. © 2017 American Cancer Society., (© 2017 American Cancer Society.)

Background: The clinical relevance of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in meningioma patients has been increasingly acknowledged in recent years. Various questionnaires have been used. However, almost none of these questionnaires has been particularly developed for and/or validated in this patient group. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the relevance and comprehensiveness of existing HRQoL questionnaires used in meningioma research and to assess the agreement between patients and health care professionals (HCPs) on the most relevant and important HRQoL issues., Methods: A systematic literature search, following the PRISMA statement, was conducted to identify all HRQoL questionnaires used in meningioma research. Semi-structured interviews were organized with patients and HCPs to (1) assess the relevance of all issues covered by the questionnaires (score 0-3: not relevant-highly relevant), (2) assess the ten most important issues, and (3) identify new relevant HRQoL issues., Results: Fourteen different questionnaires were found in the literature, comprising 140 unique issues. Interviews were conducted with 20 patients (median age 57, 71% female) and 10 HCPs (4 neurosurgeons, 2 neurologists, 2 radiotherapists, 1 rehabilitation specialist, 1 neuropsychologist; median experience 13 years). Meningioma patients rated 17-80% of the issues in each of the questionnaires as relevant, HCPs 90-100%. Patients and HCPs agreed on the relevance of only 49 issues (35%, Cohen's kappa: 0.027). Both patients and HCPs considered lack of energy the most important issue. Patients and HCPs suggested five additional relevant issues not covered by current HRQoL questionnaires., Conclusions: Existing HRQoL questionnaires currently used in meningioma patients do not fully cover all relevant issues to these patients. Agreement between patients and HCPs on the relevance of issues was poor. Both findings support the need to develop and validate a meningioma-specific HRQoL questionnaire.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) for patients undergoing intracranial meningioma resection.Eighty patients (aged 48-65 years) with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-II undergoing intracranial meningioma resection were included in this prospective observational study. The patients were randomly divided into group A (ANH group), which underwent a combination of ANH and intraoperative cell salvage (ICS), and group B (control group), which underwent ICS alone. The study parameters were recorded as baseline values before blood drainage (T0), after blood drainage (T1), and before (T2) and after (T3) retransfusion in group A. Whereas in group B, the same parameters were measured 10 minutes after anesthesia induction (T0), before surgery (T1), and before (T2) and after (T3) transfusion of autologous blood.When intraoperative blood loss was <2000 mL, the mean volume of homologous blood transfused in group A patients was 100.8 ± 82.3 mL, compared with the 190.0 ± 91.8 mL in group B. Reduction in homologous blood used in group A was statistically significant (P < .05). In group B, 15.1% patients received homologous blood, whereas only 5.9% patients received homologous blood in group A. The difference in heart rate between both groups at different time points was statistically nonsignificant (P > .05). The mean hemoglobin and hematocrit levels at T1 and T2 in group A were lower than in group B (P < .05). The prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time in both groups were prolonged significantly after T2 (all P < .05), but were all within normal range. There were no significant differences in postoperative hospital stay, mortality, and postoperative infection between the 2 groups.For patients undergoing excision of intracranial meningioma, ANH is an effective procedure to reduce the need for allogeneic transfusions.

Skull base meningiomas may present as clinically aggressive tumors despite being histologically benign. Here we describe a clinico-radiological entity of diffuse midline skull base meningiomas responsible for several neurological morbidities, including hearing and vision loss, intracranial hypertension, secondary hydrocephalus and tonsillar herniation with spinal cord compression. Surgery and radiotherapy were ineffective in stopping the clinical course of those tumors. After targeted sequencing of known mutated genes in meningiomas, we discovered TRAF7 mutations in two out of four tumors, stressing the importance of focusing the research efforts of the meningioma community in understanding the mechanisms underlying TRAF7 related meningioma tumorigenesis.

Meningiomas are the most common brain tumours; however, little is known regarding their aetiology. The data are inconsistent concerning atopic disease and the risk of developing meningioma. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the association between allergic conditions and the risk of developing meningioma. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed and Web of SCI from Jan 1979 to Feb 2016. Two investigators independently selected the relevant articles according to the inclusion criteria. Eight case-control studies and 2 cohort studies were included in the final analysis, comprising 5,679 meningioma cases and 55,621 control subjects. Compared with no history of allergy, the pooled odds ratio (OR) for allergic conditions was 0.81 (0.70-0.94) for meningioma in a random-effects meta-analysis. Inverse correlations of meningioma occurrence were also identified for asthma and eczema, in which the pooled ORs were 0.78 (0.70-0.86) and 0.78 (0.69-0.87), respectively. A reduced risk of meningioma occurrence was identified in hay fever; however, the association was weak (0.88, 95% CI = 0.78-0.99). The source of this heterogeneity could be the various confounding variables in individual studies. Overall, the current meta-analysis indicated that allergy reduced the risk of developing meningiomas. Large cohort studies are required to investigate this relationship.