High incidence of transient perifocal edema following upfront radiosurgery for intraventricular meningiomas.

INTRODUCTION: Intraventricular trigonal meningiomas (ITM) seem to have a tendency for extensive perifocal edema formation following radiosurgery (RS). To further investigate this hypothesis, we undertook the following study. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed records of patients who underwent RS for intraventricular meningiomas at our institution. RESULTS: From 1999 until 2019, 5 patients underwent single-session RS as primary treatment for ITM. Patients were treated either with a Gamma Knife or a CyberKnife. The mean prescription dose (PD) was 13.0 Gy ± 0.9, the mean tumor volume was 5.8 cc ± 3.1, and the mean follow-up (FU) was 8.9 years ± 5.6. Perifocal edema developed in 4/5 patients after a mean interval of 6.4 months ± 1.2. It was symptomatic in 2/5 patients. The edema regressed spontaneously in 4/5 patients. One of the patients underwent RS for the same ITM twice. One patient's edema was treated medically with steroids, and none of the patients underwent surgery following RS. CONCLUSION: Even though the number of patients is low, there seems to be a comparably high risk for the formation of a perifocal edema following RS for ITM. Single-session RS as primary treatment for ITM seems to be safe and effective even though a perifocal edema is likely to develop. The perifocal edema and the ensuing neurological deficits were transient and could be managed conservatively in all of our 5 cases.

Deep brain stimulation and development of a high-grade glioma: incidental or causal association?

We report the case of a patient in whom 8.8 years following the implantation of a bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) into the Vim, a high-grade glioma was diagnosed in close proximity to the two electrode leads. A possible relationship between the permanent DBS and the development of the brain tumour is discussed.

How to distinguish tumor growth from transient expansion of vestibular schwannomas following Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

BACKGROUND: Typically, vestibular schwannomas (VS) react to Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) with a transient increase of tumor volume owed to tumor swelling at about 6 months followed by a reduction of tumor volume owed to tumor shrinkage at about 18 months. It is important to distinguish this transient tumor expansion (TTE) from tumor growth. We undertook this study to see if there is a typical time interval in the follow-up of VS following GKRS, which may indicate tumor growth rather than TTE. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the patient charts of patients who underwent GKRS for unilateral sporadic VS at the Gamma Knife Center Zurich from 1994-2009 and who were treated by J. Siegfried or one of the authors (TM). Tumor progression was defined as an increase of tumor volume of ≥ 20 % as compared to the initial tumor volume at the earliest 2 years following GKRS. This time interval of ≥ 2 years was chosen in order to distinguish TTE from genuine tumor progression. Whenever tumor enlargement was suspected on follow-up MRI at ≥ 2 years following GKRS, tumor volumes were measured using custom software. RESULTS: From 1994-2009, 235 patients underwent GKRS in Zurich for unilateral sporadic VS. Tumor progression with a volume increase of ≥ 20 % occurred in 21/235 (8.9 %) patients at 3.4 ± 0.9 years following GKRS. Seventeen out of 235 (7 %) patients had a clinically relevant tumor progression requiring microsurgery or repeat radiosurgery. CONCLUSIONS: According to our data, time may be a good parameter distinguishing tumor progression due to tumor growth from TTE due to tumor swelling in VS following GKRS. Tumor growth seems to occur at about 3-4 years following GKRS for VS as opposed to TTE, which seems to be present at about 6-18 months following GKRS for VS.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Benign Cavernous Sinus Meningiomas: A Multicentre Study and Review of the Literature.

Cavernous sinus meningiomas (CSMs) remain a surgical challenge due to the intimate involvement of their contained nerves and blood vessels. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a safe and effective minimally invasive alternative for the treatment of small- to medium-sized CSMs. Objective: To assess the medium- to long-term outcomes of SRS for CSMs with respect to tumour growth, prevention of further neurological deterioration and improvement of existing neurological deficits. This multicentric study included data from 15 European institutions. We performed a retrospective observational analysis of 1222 consecutive patients harbouring 1272 benign CSMs. All were treated with Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Clinical and imaging data were retrieved from each centre and entered into a common database. All tumours with imaging follow-up of less than 24 months were excluded. Detailed results from 945 meningiomas (86%) were then analysed. Clinical neurological outcomes were available for 1042 patients (85%). Median imaging follow-up was 67 months (mean 73.4, range 24-233). Median tumour volume was 6.2 cc (+/-7), and the median marginal dose was 14 Gy (+/-3). The post-treatment tumour volume decreased in 549 (58.1%), remained stable in 336 (35.6%) and increased in only 60 lesions (6.3%), yielding a local tumour control rate of 93.7%. Only 27 (2.8%) of the 60 enlarging tumours required further treatment. Five- and ten-year actuarial progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 96.7% and 90.1%, respectively. Tumour control rates were higher for women than men (p = 0.0031), and also for solitary sporadic meningiomas (p = 0.0201). There was no statistically significant difference in outcome for imaging-defined meningiomas when compared with histologically proven WHO Grade-I meningiomas (p = 0.1212). Median clinical follow up was 61 months (mean 64, range 6-233). Permanent morbidity occurred in 5.9% of cases at last follow-up. Stereotactic radiosurgery is a safe and effective method for treating benign CSM in the medium term to long term.

Radiosurgery for Sporadic Benign Synchronous Tumors of the Cerebellopontine Angle.

BACKGROUND: Synchronous cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumors are a rare entity. Several publications refer to surgery for such tumors and their classification. Yet, there are no publications on upfront radiosurgery for synchronous CPA tumors. CASE DESCRIPTION: The authors present two patients with sporadic synchronous benign CPA tumors who underwent upfront radiosurgery. One patient had two separate schwannomas of the CPA and the other had a schwannoma and a meningioma of the CPA. One patient underwent stepwise radiosurgery treating one tumor after another and the other patient underwent simultaneous radiosurgery for both tumors at the same time. CONCLUSION: Simultaneous and stepwise radiosurgery for synchronous CPA tumors seems to be safe and effective. There were no side effects or complications. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report on upfront radiosurgery for synchronous CPA tumors.

Paraneoplastic symptoms caused by extracranial meningioma metastases?

BACKGROUND: There are only few reports on distant metastases of cranial meningiomas WHO I. In one-third of the cases, distant metastases seem to be clinically silent. This is the first case of distant metastases which may have manifested with a paraneoplastic syndrome. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 52-year-old white male patient was diagnosed with distant metastases to the bones and liver 11 and 12 years following craniotomy and removal of a tentorial meningioma WHO I. At that time, the patient had developed paresthesia, unsteady gait, and a slight cognitive impairment, which in retrospect had no other explanation than that of a paraneoplastic syndrome. Eighteen years following craniotomy, a small intracranial tumor rest is under control following two single session radiosurgery treatments. At present, the patient has a multitude of bone and liver metastases, which seem to cause his paraneoplastic symptoms. CONCLUSION: Screening for malignancies in patients with paraneoplastic symptoms and a history of cranial meningioma should include screening for distant metastases from the meningioma.

Tumor recurrence and survival following gamma knife surgery for brain metastases.

OBJECT: The authors evaluated prognostic factors for tumor recurrence and patient survival following gamma knife surgery (GKS) for brain metastasis. METHODS: A retrospective review of 101 patient charts was undertaken for those patients treated with GKS for brain metastases from 1994 to 2001. Recurrence rates of brain metastasis following GKS depended on the duration of patient survival. Long-term survival was associated with a higher risk of tumor recurrence and shorter-term survival was associated with a lower risk. The duration of survival following GKS for brain metastases seems to be characteristic of the primary disease rather than the cerebral disease. CONCLUSIONS: Recurrence rates of brain metastasis following GKS are related to duration of survival, which is in turn mostly dependent on the nature and course of the primary tumor.

Mulitmodality management of rare solitary fibrous tumor can be associated with extended survival.

BACKGROUND: Little is known on the long-term course of patients treated for intracranial solitary fibrous tumors (iSFT). We therefore retrospectively reviewed the charts of our patients who underwent Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for iSFT at Klinik Im Park in Zurich and who were treated by one of the authors. Between 1994 and 2009, two patients underwent GKRS for iSFT at Klinik Im Park. CASE DESCRIPTION: One patient underwent altogether five radiosurgical treatments and two craniotomies for iSFT and its local recurrences. The other patient underwent two craniotomies and one radiosurgical treatment for iSFT. Both patients maintained a Karnofsky performance score 100 during follow-up and both were long-term survivors with a follow-up of 9 and 17 years, respectively. CONCLUSION: A close follow-up of patients with iSFT and repeat radiosurgery or surgery when indicated seems to lead to a favorable long-term outcome.

Keyhole supracerebellar transtentorial transcollateral sulcus approach to the lateral ventricle.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Meningiomas of the lateral ventricles are commonly located in the atria. Surgical access to such tumors is challenging because of their deep location and proximity to critical neurovascular structures, particularly if situated on the dominant side. Although a number of approaches have been described in the literature, most carry the risk of postoperative neuropsychological, visual, or speech deficits, especially when operating on the dominant hemisphere. The supracerebellar transtentorial transcollateral sulcus (STTCS) approach offers the potential to circumvent functionally important structures, reducing the risk of these approach-related neurological deficits. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Two patients with dominant hemisphere trigonal meningiomas underwent surgical resection with the use of the STTCS approach. Neuronavigation was used to carefully plan the incision, craniotomy, and exposure, and also intraoperatively to orientate the operating surgeon at key steps, particularly when raising the tentorial flap in line with the tumor. Endoscopy was used to provide increased light intensity, an extended viewing angle, and higher magnification in comparison with a microscope. Specially designed tube-shaft instruments were also used to assist with manipulation through the narrow surgical corridor. In both cases, the tumors were fully resected without approach-related morbidity. CONCLUSION: The STTCS approach provides good access to tumors located in the trigonal region, reducing the risk of iatrogenic language or visual field deficits. In dominant hemisphere lesions, in the hands of an experienced neurosurgeon, the STTCS approach is an effective alternative to existing techniques.