Hemorrhagic burden in poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

Acta Neurochirurgica (2019) 161:791–797

Volumetric assessment of aneurysmal bleeding has been evaluated in few studies and emerged as a promising outcome predictor. There is a lack of studies evaluating its impact in the poor-grade population.

Methods Retrospective review of 63 consecutive poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients, defined as grade IV and V according to theWorld Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) classifications. Global intracranial bleeding volume was calculated with its subarachnoid, intracerebral (ICH), and intraventricular (IVH) portions by means of analytical software. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed in order to identify independent predictors of outcome. Good outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0–2 and mortality as mRS 6. The cutoff values of bleeding volumes were derived by receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis.

Results Mean follow-up was of 12.5 (± 1.5) months. Thirty (47.7%) patients achieved good outcome, whereas 19 (30.2) patients out of 63 died. Global intracranial bleeding resulted as an independent predictor of good outcome (cutoff 24 mL). Furthermore, ICH relative percentage of global volume (10% of total) and pure SAH (64% of total) emerged respectively as independent predictors of worsened and improved outcome. Global bleeding volume (cutoff 51 mL) along with global cerebral edema showed to independently predict mortality in the examined poor-grade aSAH population.

Conclusions Volumetric assessment of aneurysmal bleeding has the potential for identifying cutoff values that independently predict outcome. Further insights into the relative importance of different bleeding volumes may be implicated in better tailoring the management of this dismal aSAH population.

Endoscopic endonasal versus transcranial approach to tuberculum sellae and planum sphenoidale meningiomas

J Neurosurg 128:40–48, 2018

Planum sphenoidale (PS) and tuberculum sellae (TS) meningiomas cause visual symptoms due to compression of the optic chiasm. The treatment of choice is surgical removal with the goal of improving vision and achieving complete tumor removal. Two options exist to remove these tumors: the transcranial approach (TCA) and the endonasal endoscopic approach (EEA). Significant controversy exists regarding which approach provides the best results and whether there is a subset of patients for whom an EEA may be more suitable. Comparisons using a similar cohort of patients, namely, those suitable for gross-total resection with EEA, are lacking from the literature.

METHODS The authors reviewed all cases of PS and TS meningiomas that were surgically removed at Weill Cornell Medical College between 2000 and 2015 (TCA) and 2008 and 2015 (EEA). All cases were shown to a panel of 3 neurosurgeons to find only those tumors that could be removed equally well either through an EEA or TCA to standardize both groups. Volumetric measurements of preoperative and postoperative tumor size, FLAIR images, and apparent diffusion coefficient maps were assessed by 2 independent reviewers and compared to assess extent of resection and trauma to the surrounding brain. Visual outcome and complications were also compared.

RESULTS Thirty-two patients were identified who underwent either EEA (n = 17) or TCA (n = 15). The preoperative tumor size was comparable (mean 5.58 ± 3.42 vs 5.04 ± 3.38 cm3 [± SD], p = 0.661). The average extent of resection achieved was not significantly different between the 2 groups (98.80% ± 3.32% vs 95.13% ± 11.69%, p = 0.206). Postoperatively, the TCA group demonstrated a significant increase in the FLAIR/edema signal compared with EEA patients (4.15 ± 7.10 vs -0.69 ± 2.73 cm3, p = 0.014). In addition, the postoperative diffusion-weighted imaging signal of cytotoxic ischemic damage was significantly higher in the TCA group than in the EEA group (1.88 ± 1.96 vs 0.40 ± 0.55 cm3, p = 0.008). Overall, significantly more EEA patients experienced improved or stable visual outcomes compared with TCA patients (93% vs 56%, p = 0.049). Visual deterioration was greater after TCA than EEA (44% vs 0%, p = 0.012). While more patients experienced postoperative seizures after TCA than after EEA (27% vs 0%, p = 0.038), there was a trend toward more CSF leakage and anosmia after EEA than after TCA (11.8% vs 0%, p = 0.486 and 11.8% vs 0%, p = 0.118, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS In this small single-institution study of similarly sized and located PS and TS meningiomas, EEA provided equivalent rates of resection with better visual results, less trauma to the brain, and fewer seizures. These preliminary results merit further investigation in a larger multiinstitutional study and may support EEA resection by experienced surgeons in a subset of carefully selected PS and TS meningiomas.

Volumetric growth rates of meningioma and its correlation with histological diagnosis and clinical outcome

Acta Neurochir (2017) 159:435–445

Tumour growth has been used to successfully predict progression-free survival in low-grade glioma. This systematic review sought to establish the evidence base regarding the correlation of volumetric growth rates with histological diagnosis and potential to predict clinical outcome in patients with meningioma.

Methods This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Databases were searched for full text English articles analysing volumetric growth rates in patients with a meningioma.

Results Four retrospective cohort studies were accepted, demonstrating limited evidence of significantly different tumour doubling rates and shapes of growth curves between benign and atypical meningiomas. Heterogeneity of patient characteristics and timing of volumetric assessment, both pre- and post-operatively, limited pooled analysis of the data. No studies performed statistical analysis to demonstrate the clinical utility of growth rates in predicting clinical outcome.

Conclusion This systematic review provides limited evidence in support of the use of volumetric growth rates in meningioma to predict histological diagnosis and clinical outcome to guide future monitoring and treatment.