[Transsphenoidal surgery of suprasellar meningiomas - is there a future for the technique?] / Transsfenoidal'naia khirurgiia supraselliarnykh meningiom - est' li budushchee u metodiki?

Surgery of suprasellar meningiomas is a challenge and associated with a high risk of injury to the vascular-neural structures lying along the approach and surrounding the tumor. Currently, many foreign clinics and our Center have introduced a technique for resection of suprasellar meningiomas through the anterior extended transsphenoidal endoscopic endonasal approach. OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to evaluate the role of extended transsphenoidal endoscopic endonasal approaches in surgery of suprasellar meningiomas. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present study is a retrospective analysis of surgical treatment outcomes in 45 patients (11 males and 34 females aged 23 to 70 years (median, 50 years) with suprasellar meningiomas who underwent surgery for skull base tumors using the anterior extended transsphenoidal endoscopic endonasal approach in the Surgery Department of the Burdenko Neurosurgical Institute in the period from 2009 to 2017. In all cases, surgery was the primary method of treatment. RESULTS: Total tumor resection (the tumor was resected completely together with an infiltrated DM - Simpson 1) was achieved in 77.8% (35/45) of cases; subtotal resection (more than 80% of the tumor was removed) was in 17.8% (8/45) of cases; in 4.4% (2/45) of cases, resection was partial (less than 80% of the tumor was resected). Worsening or development of visual impairments immediately after surgery occurred in 13 (28%) of 45 patients. In 3 of them, vision was completely recovered on conservative treatment by the time of hospital discharge. In 4 patients, vision partially improved by the time of discharge. In 6 patients, vision was not recovered by discharge (in 2 of them, vision partially improved during follow-up). Therefore, by the time of hospital discharge, deterioration in vision occurred in 10 (22%) of 45 patients. In 7 (21.2%) out of 33 patients who had visual impairments before surgery, there was an improvement in vision in the postoperative period. CONCLUSION: Analyzing the findings and generalizing our experience, we may say that, in surgery of suprasellar meningiomas, the anterior extended transsphenoidal endoscopic endonasal approach should be used for relatively small (up to 3 cm), medially located symmetrical tumors that do not involve large vessels. The efficacy of this technique for tumors extending into the optic nerve canals requires additional analysis in a larger series of cases.

Surgical Approach for Suprasellar Meningiomas Based on Attachment-Single-Surgeon Experience.

BACKGROUND: Suprasellar meningiomas (SMs) can originate from midline or paramedian dura. Complexity of surgery and visual outcome depend on the attachment of SM. Conventional surgery for SM was ipsilateral to the visual deficit. We report our experience of surgical management of SM after choosing a surgical approach based on the attachment of the SM. METHODS: Sixty consecutive patients who underwent surgery for SM between January 2016 and January 2022 formed the study population. In patients with SM attached to the midline, the surgical approach was ipsilateral to the side of vision loss. In contrast, in those with a paramedian attachment, the approach was contralateral. Outcome variables included extent of resection achieved, recurrence, and assessment for visual acuity and fields, done at 3 months and 6 months after surgery and every year subsequently. RESULTS: The average age of the study population was 49.99 ± 13.38 (13-74) years with 23 (38.3%) men. Surgery for SM was done via the ipsilateral approach in 18 (30.0%) and the contralateral approach in 42 (70.0%) patients. The average preoperative visual impairment scale score was 54.68 ± 37.55. Gross total resection was achieved in 58 (96.7%) patients. The average duration of follow-up was 3 years, and at latest follow-up, improvement in vision was reported in 46 (76.6%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with SM undergoing surgical resection, opting for an ipsilateral approach when the SM had a midline attachment and a contralateral approach if the SM had a paramedian attachment may ensure greater resection of the lesion and better clinical outcomes. Our findings need validation in larger, randomized studies.