Surgical Management of foramen magnum meningiomas

In this study, 12 patients with foramen magnum meningiomas were operated upon in the Neurosurgical Department, Cairo University, from January 1999 to January 2002. Two surgical approaches were used in the study [the inferior suboccipital approach and the far lateral approach]. Total excision of the meningioma was achieved in 90% of the cases. The operative morbidity was 25% [one case of CSF leakage, one case of motor weakness and one case of lower cranial nerve deficit]. No mortalities were encountered in this study. No tumor recurrence existed during an average follow up period of about 20 months