Predicting the probability of meningioma recurrence in the preoperative and early postoperative period: a multivariate analysis in the midterm follow-up.

We reviewed the clinical, radiological, surgical, and histopathological features of patients with meningiomas to identify factors that can predict tumor recurrence after "microscopic total removal," to improve preoperative surgical planning, and to help determine the need for close radiological observation at shorter intervals or the need for radiotherapy as an adjuvant treatment in the early postoperative period. Clinical data, magnetic resonance imaging studies, angiographic data, operative reports, and histopathological findings were examined retrospectively in 137 patients with a meningioma treated microsurgically and with no evidence of residual tumor on postoperative MR images. Based on univariate analysis, tumor size, a mushroom shape, proximity to major sinuses, edema, osteolysis, cortical penetration, signal intensity on T2-weighted MRIs, pial-cortical arterial supply, presence of a brain-tumor interface in surgery, Simpson's criteria, and histopathological classification were significant predictors for recurrence. However, age, gender, location of tumor, dural tail, calcification, signal intensity on T1-weighted images, and histopathologic subtypes in the benign group were not significant predictors. By Cox regression analysis the most important variables related to the time to recurrence were mushroom shape, osteolysis, dural tail, and proximity to major sinuses. Aggressive surgical therapy with wider dural removal should be considered in the presence of the preoperative predictors of a recurrence. Close radiological observation at shorter intervals or radiotherapy should be considered as adjuvant therapy in high-risk patients based on surgical findings predicting recurrence related to the brain-tumor interface, Simpson's criteria, and histopathological findings in the early postoperative period.

Prognosis and prognostic factors in nonaneurysmal perimesencephalic hemorrhage: a follow-up study in 29 patients.

BACKGROUND: Perimesencephalic nonaneurysmal hemorrhage is a benign form of subarachnoid hemorrhage with a low risk of rebleeding. The authors conducted a retrospective study to investigate the prognosis, possible prognostic factors, and long-term natural history in perimesencephalic nonaneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (PNSH). METHODS: This report contains a retrospective analysis of 29 patients with PNSH who were followed from 1 month to 8 years with an average follow-up period of 5.4 years. We evaluated computed tomography (CT) scan features; clinical grade; loss of consciousness during hemorrhage; ventricular ratio; angiographic spasm; complications such as ischemic complications, early rebleeding, late rebleeding, epilepsy, hydrocephalus, and fixed ischemic deficit; and outcome. RESULTS: There were 7 men and 22 women, and the ages ranged from 22 to 69 years (mean 49.5 years). In the group with PNSH 93% of the patients were in grade I-II, as compared to 70.8% of patients with non-PNSH according to the Hunt and Hess system. Loss of consciousness during hemorrhage was detected in 9 patients (31%). We observed acute hydrocephalus in 4 patients (13.7%). The first cerebral four-vessel angiograms disclosed vasospasm in 3 patients (10.3%). Patients with PNSH have the best outcome according to the activities of daily living (ADL) grading system when compared with other groups of patients with negative angiogram (aneurysmal pattern and invisible blood). CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that patients with PNSH have an uncomplicated course and a particularly favorable outcome.

Prognosis and prognostic factors for unexplained subarachnoid hemorrhage: review of 84 cases.

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a retrospective study to investigate the prognosis, possible prognostic factors, and long-term natural history of subarachnoid hemorrhage of unexplained cause. METHODS: This report contains a retrospective analysis of data for 84 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage of unknown cause who were monitored for 1 month to 9.5 years, with an average follow-up period of 5.6 years. We evaluated the associations between computed tomographic (CT) scan features, clinical grade, loss of consciousness during hemorrhage, ventricular ratio, angiographic spasm, complications (such as death resulting from ischemia, early rebleeding, late rebleeding, epilepsy, hydrocephalus, and fixed ischemic deficits), and outcomes, using a nonparametric, two-sample, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The chi2 test was used to test the independence of two categorical variables. RESULTS: CT class exhibited a significant association with clinical grade (gamma = 0.865, P = 0.006), loss of consciousness during hemorrhage (gamma = 0.69, P = 0.001), and ventricular ratio (gamma = 0.8175, P = 0.01) but a nonsignificant association with angiographic vasospasm (gamma = 0.21, P = 0.2). Death resulting from ischemic complications and fixed ischemic deficits were strongly associated with clinical grade (P = 0.003 and P = 0.008, respectively) but weakly associated with CT class (P = 0.06 and P = 0.084, respectively). Angiographic vasospasm was strongly associated only with fixed ischemic deficits among complications (P = 0.001). Clinical outcome was strongly positively associated with CT class (gamma = 0.685, P = 0.001), clinical grade (gamma = 0.81, P = 0.001), and ventricular ratio (gamma = 0.57, P = 0.002) but weakly positively associated with loss of consciousness during hemorrhage (gamma = 0.459, P = 0.0487) and angiographic vasospasm (gamma = 0.48, P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Our study confirms earlier studies reporting a good prognosis for survival, but it does not confirm the earlier statements regarding low morbidity rates. Although clinical grade and the presence and amount of subarachnoid blood on CT scans are the major prognostic factors related to the incidence of ischemic complications, clinical grade and CT class are also the main parameters, with ventricular ratio, indicating clinical outcomes for patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage of unknown cause.