Clinical profile of meningioma: an experience from South India

Abstract

Background: Meningiomas are one of the most common primary intracranial tumours. The incidence, varieties of tumour, site, imaging findings, resectability, outcome and prognosis vary from tumour to tumour. The understanding of these characteristics is essential in the management of meningiomas.Methods: An observational study was carried out among 50 patients with imaging proven meningioma and involved recording of age, gender, clinical history, physical examination, imaging findings, intraoperative characteristics, anatomical and pathological diagnosis. The parameters evaluated in the study were gender distribution, age distribution, presenting symptoms, neurological deficits, mri findings, volume of tumour, intraoperative findings, grade of excision, anatomical, pathological diagnosis and recurrence rates.Results: The male to female ratio was 1:2.57, with 50-70 years being the most affected population. The common symptomatology was that of features of raised ICP with motor deficit as the common neurological abnormality. Simpson grade 2 was the common clearance obtained. 3 common sites were parasagittal, sphenoid wing and convexity. Commonest histological type was transitional. Recurrence rate was 6%. This study also pointed out general imaging and intraoperative characteristics of Grade 3 tumours as T2 hyperintensity, heterogeneous, with significant perilesional oedema and intensely contrast enhancing, high vascularity, friable, suckable and ill-defined margins.Conclusions: The study enables us to understand the general trend of presentation, imaging and surgical properties of Meningiomas and to compare with international standards. It also helps us to finger out the possible high-grade lesions even before the pathological diagnosis is obtained.