Although the authors could obtain variable results depending on the measurement method, the data demonstrate patients younger than 60 years of age and those with meningiomas characterized by hyperintensity on T2-weighted MR imaging, no calcification, diameter greater than 25 mm, and edema need to be observed more closely. Volumetry was more sensitive to detecting tumor growth than measuring the linear diameter.

In the authors' practice, surgery for sphenoorbital meningiomas consists of resection of the orbital/sphenoid intraosseous, intraorbital, and intradural tumor components. The authors believe that aggressive removal of the orbital/sphenoid intraosseous tumor is critical for a favorable visual outcome and tumor control. Furthermore, satisfactory cosmetic results can be achieved with simple reconstruction techniques as described.

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WHO Grades II and III meningiomas occur far less frequently in the cranial base and spinal locations. Tumors arising from these locations may have different mechanisms of tumorigenesis and/or progression compared with meningiomas arising from other (non-cranial base) regions.

In the authors' experience, the incidence of CSF leakage following non-watertight reconstruction of the dura mater in meningioma surgery performed using dural onlay graft was 0.4%. Graft-related complications occurred in 2.3%. These figures compare favorably to the majority of the series in which watertight dural closure is described and emphasized.

Clinoidal meningiomas, also referred to as medial or inner sphenoid wing meningiomas, are often difficult and challenging to remove completely and safely, especially when they become large enough to encircle, compress, or displace the adjacent critical neurovascular structures such as the optic nerve, the internal carotid artery and its branches, and the oculomotor nerve. In this article, the authors describe the detailed surgical technique used in their practice in addition to subtle nuances learned from their experience of operating on more than 40 patients with clinoidal meningiomas over the past several years. The primary goals of surgery are to achieve aggressive tumor removal with avoidance of intraoperative morbidity and, in addition, for those with preoperative compromised vision, to provide improvement in their visual function after surgery.

Objectives/Hypothesis:The objective of this study was to review clinical outcomes of minimally invasive endoscopic resection (MIER) for anterior skull base (ASB) neoplasms.Study Design:Retrospective data review.Methods:Data analysis was performed on all patients undergoing MIER from October 2000 to December 2008.Results:Thirty‐one patients with mean age of 58 years underwent MIER. Malignant and benign tumors were managed in 25 (80.6%) and six (19.4%) cases, respectively. Most common histopathologies were squamous cell carcinoma (six), esthesioneuroblastoma (five), mucosal melanoma (five), and sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (four). American Joint Committee on Cancer tumor staging was T3N0M0 and T4N0M0 in 14 (56%) and 11 (44%) of the malignant cases, respectively. Surgical resection with curative intent was performed in 28 cases (90.3%). Multilayered skull base reconstruction was performed in most patients; lumbar drains were used in eight cases (25.8%). Twenty‐one patients (67.7%) were disease free, five patients (16.1%) were dead from disease, three patients (9.7%) were alive with disease, and two patients (6.5%) died from unrelated causes at mean follow‐up of 31.7 months.Conclusions:This study validated technical feasibility of MIER for diversity of benign and malignant ASB histopathology. Majority of patients were able to avoid adjunct craniotomy, whereas lumbar drainage was utilized in selective cases. This surgical strategy resulted in low complication rate and acceptable disease‐free survival in patients with advanced T3 and T4 malignant lesions. Future studies should focus on multicenter trials to facilitate more robust survival analysis and comparison to open surgical approaches. Laryngoscope, 2010

Meticulous duroplasty and routine postoperative lumbar drain has shown satisfactory results in dealing with intra-operative CSF leaks. It compares favorably with other techniques and obviates the need for fat harvesting. In patients with SSE, where leak occurs more frequently, we recommend inserting the lumbar drain before the procedure. As an adjunctive benefit, this allows for the saline-infusion method to mobilize the SSE without producing the venous engorgement of the Valsalva maneuver.