Open AccessCavernous sinus meningiomas
Author(s) -
Roberto Spiegelmann,
Zvi Cohen,
Uzi Nissim
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
jornal brasileiro de neurocirurgia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2446-6786
pISSN - 0103-5118
DOI - 10.22290/jbnc.v20i2.983
Subject(s) - radiosurgery , medicine , cavernous sinus , microsurgery , nuclear medicine , meningioma , linear particle accelerator , isocenter , surgery , radiology , radiation therapy , beam (structure) , physics , optics
Tumors of the cranial base arising from or partially involving the cavernous sinus have represented a formidable challenge to neurosurgeons. Stereotactic radiosurgery represents an alternative to microsurgery for the management of cavernous sinus meningiomas. The present study aims to evaluate the results of radiosurgery in a large series of patients treated with a linear accelerator with a long-term follow-up. Patients and Methods: From 1993 through 2007, 462 patients with meningiomas underwent radiosurgery at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center LINAC radiosurgery unit. Of those, 117 had tumors involving predominantly the cavernous sinus. A mean follow-up of 67 months was obtained in 102 patients (range:12 to 180 months). Patients’ age ranged from 31 to 86 years (mean 57). Seventy two (70%) were females. Thirty five patients (34.3%) were initially submitted to microsurgery and 67 (65.6%) underwent stereotactic radiosurgery as the first treatment option. Patients were treated using a linear accelerator with cylindrical collimators in 44 patients (43.1%) and a minimultileaf collimator in 58 patients (56.8%). The prescription dose was delivered to the 60 to 80% isodose line (mean, 68%) in patients treated with cylindrical collimators, and to the 80% in those treated with a single conformal isocenter. Doses ranged between 12 and 17.5 Gy (mean, 13.5 Gy). Median tumor volume was 7.2 cm3 (range 0.61–23 cm3). Results: All patients were available for follow-up at 12 to 180 months after treatment (mean, 68 months; median, 60 months). The actuarial control rate was 98%. Fifty nine patients (58%) had a volume reduction and forty one (40%) had stable tumor volumes at the end of follow-up. Two tumors grew. Overall, 4 patients had a new lasting neurological deficit (facial hypesthesia or pain in two, trochlear neuropathy in two, and visual defect in one), for an incidence of 4% in persistent neurological complications. Conclusions: This series of linear accelerator radiosurgery confirms that in the short and long term, radiosurgery affords excellent control for cavernous sinus meningiomas with a very low incidence of complications. Radiosurgery can thus be regarded as the treatment of choice for cavernous sinus meningiomas.