Angiographic Evaluation of the Feeding Artery in Skull Base Meningioma.

To identify the characteristics of feeding arteries in skull base meningioma including location and prevalence, we evaluated the distributions and types of feeding arteries in skull base meningioma by cerebral angiography and assessed relationships to tumor attachment. We enrolled patients with skull base meningioma who underwent MRI and cerebral digital subtraction angiography (DSA), from September 2015 to October 2022. Subjects comprised 115 patients (32 males, 83 females; mean age, 52.7) with 117 meningiomas, showing tumor attachments around the "cavernous sinus to the upper part of the clivus" (Area 1), "lower part of the clivus to foramen magnum" (Area 2), and "tentorium around the petrous bone" (Area 3). Frequent arteries, such as the dorsal meningeal artery (DMA), the ascending pharyngeal artery (APA), the tentorial artery (TA), and the petrosal branch (PB) of the middle meningeal artery (MMA) were analyzed in terms of their associations with tumor attachment to Areas 1-3. Meningiomas with the DMA as a feeding artery correlated with tumor attachment to Area 1 (p < 0.001). Meningiomas with the APA correlated with tumor attachment to Area 2 (p < 0.001). Meningiomas with the TA correlated with tumor attachment to Area 3 (p < 0.001). The PB correlated with Area 3 (p < 0.05). Our study founded that visualization of these arteries correlated well with specific areas. These arteries were also the main feeders in each type of skull base meningioma.

Intraparenchymal and Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Stereotactic Electroencephalography Caused by Indirect Adjacent Arterial Injury: Illustrative Case.

The complication rate of stereotactic electroencephalography (SEEG) is generally low, but various types of postoperative hemorrhage have been reported. We presented an unusual hemorrhagic complication after SEEG placement. A 20-year-old man presented with suspected frontal lobe epilepsy. We implanted 11 SEEG electrodes in the bilateral frontal lobes and the left insula. Computed tomography after implantation showed intraparenchymal hemorrhage in the left temporal lobe and insula and subarachnoid hemorrhage in the left Sylvian cistern. Later, the point of vessel injury was revealed from the identification of a pseudoaneurysm, but this location was not along the planned or actual electrode trajectory. The cause of hemorrhage was suggested to be indirect injury from stretching of the arachnoid trabeculae by the puncture needle.

Outcome of Superficial Temporal Artery-to-Middle Cerebral Artery Bypass in Appropriately Selected Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Endovascular treatment is the preferred treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to main artery steno-occlusive disease, but it has temporal and technical limitations. Moreover, there is no established treatment for progressive stroke. Superficial temporal artery (STA)-middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass is sometimes considered as a treatment option. Objective: The objective of this paper is to review the treatment outcomes of patients with AIS undergoing urgent STA-MCA bypass. Methods and Material: This was a retrospective study including 32 patients diagnosed with AIS treated with urgent STA-MCA bypass at our facility. The patients had small infarct volumes and a large diffusion-perfusion mismatch. Results: New ischemic lesions in postoperative diffusion-weighted images were detected in 15 patients (46.9%), but only four (12.5%) developed paralysis. Hyperperfusion occurred in nine patients (28.1%), and five (15.6%) had bypass occlusion at 1 week. Delayed wound healing were found in four patients (12.5%). Neurological outcome was measured 3 months after onset: Manual Muscle Testing (MMT), 3-5 in 27 patients (84.4%); modified Rankin scale (mRS), 0-2 in 17 patients (53.1%); and 0-3 in 26 patients (81.3%). Prognosis was better in patients who underwent surgery after 24 h of stroke onset (mRS, 0-2 in 56.0% cases and 0-3 in 88.0% at 3 months). Statistical analyses revealed that MMT before surgery had a significant association with favorable outcomes (P = 0.041). Conclusions: Urgent STA-MCA bypass for progressive stroke may result in a good prognosis if the right patients are selected and may play an important role in cases treated 24 h after onset in whom endovascular treatment is ineffective.

Deep Learning-based Angiogram Generation Model for Cerebral Angiography without Misregistration Artifacts.

Background Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) generates an image by subtracting a mask image from a dynamic angiogram. However, patient movement-caused misregistration artifacts can result in unclear DSA images that interrupt procedures. Purpose To train and to validate a deep learning (DL)-based model to produce DSA-like cerebral angiograms directly from dynamic angiograms and then quantitatively and visually evaluate these angiograms for clinical usefulness. Materials and Methods A retrospective model development and validation study was conducted on dynamic and DSA image pairs consecutively collected from January 2019 through April 2019. Angiograms showing misregistration were first separated per patient by two radiologists and sorted into the misregistration test data set. Nonmisregistration angiograms were divided into development and external test data sets at a ratio of 8:1 per patient. The development data set was divided into training and validation data sets at ratio of 3:1 per patient. The DL model was created by using the training data set, tuned with the validation data set, and then evaluated quantitatively with the external test data set and visually with the misregistration test data set. Quantitative evaluations used the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and the structural similarity (SSIM) with mixed liner models. Visual evaluation was conducted by using a numerical rating scale. Results The training, validation, nonmisregistration test, and misregistration test data sets included 10 751, 2784, 1346, and 711 paired images collected from 40 patients (mean age, 62 years ± 11 [standard deviation]; 33 women). In the quantitative evaluation, DL-generated angiograms showed a mean PSNR value of 40.2 dB ± 4.05 and a mean SSIM value of 0.97 ± 0.02, indicating high coincidence with the paired DSA images. In the visual evaluation, the median ratings of the DL-generated angiograms were similar to or better than those of the original DSA images for all 24 sequences. Conclusion The deep learning-based model provided clinically useful cerebral angiograms free from clinically significant artifacts directly from dynamic angiograms. Published under a CC BY 4.0 license. Supplemental material is available for this article.

Incidental finding of neurosyphilis with intracranial hemorrhage and cerebral infarction: A case report.

Syphilis has recently increased in prevalence in Japan. Neurosyphilis is a special pathological condition of syphilis well known to cause cerebral vasculitis and ischemic stroke. Neurosyphilis in the meningovascular stage rarely causes caliber irregularity of the cerebral blood vessels or cerebral hemorrhage. We describe the case of a 49-year-old Japanese man with neurosyphilis. Cerebral hemorrhage, multiple cerebral infarctions, and caliber irregularity of the cerebral blood vessels were observed, the patient underwent surgery for cerebral hemorrhage on the day of admission, all of which were suspected to be caused by syphilis. He was started on an antibacterial treatment of penicillin on the day of admission and was diagnosed with neurosyphilis the following week based on his serum and spinal fluid test results. His condition improved, and he was transferred to another hospital after 4 weeks of treatment consisting of 3 weeks of infusion treatment with benzylpenicillin followed by oral treatment with amoxicillin. To the best of our knowledge, this is a rare case of neurosyphilis in conjunction with cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction. Clinicians should consider syphilis in the differential diagnosis of cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction and test patients for sexually transmitted diseases, in addition to cerebrospinal fluid testing, when cerebral hemorrhage occurs with an unknown cause. This is especially pertinent when patients present with cerebral infarction or caliber irregularity of the cerebral blood vessels.

Microsurgical or endovascular strategy for complete obliteration of spinal arteriovenous shunts in a single-institute 10-year retrospective study.

The objective of this retrospective study is to more fully understand the optimal strategy to manage spinal arteriovenous (AV) shunts. This study included a cohort of 35 patients with a diagnosis of spinal AV shunts who were treated over the past 10 years at a single institute. Angiographic diagnosis of intramedullary AV malformations (IM-AVM), perimedullary AV fistulas (PM-AVF), dural AV fistulas (D-AVF), or epidural AV fistulas (ED-AVF) was carefully made, and the microsurgical or endovascular strategy for them was determined at the interdisciplinary meeting consisting of neurospinal surgeons and endovascular specialists. Endovascular surgery was first considered whenever safely possible. Microscopic direct surgery using intraoperative image guidance was considered for cases in which endovascular access was challenging or not safely possible. Combined treatment was another option. The clinical condition was assessed using the modified Rankin scale (mRS). Seventeen of 35 cases were treated with microscopic direct surgery, 13 cases with endovascular surgery, and the remaining five cases with the combination. Complete angiographic obliteration was achieved in 30 of 35 cases (85.7%). Although residual AV shunts was recognized in 3 cases of IM-AVM, 1 case of PM-AVF and 1 case of ED-AVF, no angiographic recurrence was present with an average postoperative follow-up period of 44 months. The average mRS before surgery was 2.37 and significantly improved to 1.94 at the most recent follow-up. Interdisciplinary collaboration between neurospinal surgeons and endovascular specialists should be standard to achieve safe and successful outcomes in treating such rare and difficult spinal disorders.

Low recurrence after Simpson grade II resection of spinal benign meningiomas in a single-institute 10-year retrospective study.

The objective of this study was to more fully understand the optimal neurosurgical strategy for spinal benign meningiomas from a medium to long-term perspective. This retrospective study included a cohort of 35 patients with a diagnosis of spinal meningioma who were first operated at our institute over the past 10 years and followed-up for at least 2 years after surgery. The inclusion criterion for the study was the pathological diagnosis finally verified as benign meningioma of World Health Organization (WHO) grade 1. The average follow-up duration after surgery was 61.0 months. The location of the spinal meningioma was classified into ventral or dorsal type based on the operative video record and the preoperative MR images. The extent of resection of the spinal meningioma was carefully determined based on the Simpson grade. The average neurological condition was significantly improved at the final follow-up. Simpson grade I or II resection was achieved in 31 of 35 cases (88.6%). No Simpson grade I or II cases showed local recurrence during follow-up. Tumor recurrence was noted in 2 of 4 cases of Simpson grade IV resection. One case has been followed-up without any re-operation because of no neurological deterioration, and the other case underwent stereotactic radiosurgery. This study suggested that meticulous Simpson grade II resection of spinal benign meningiomas of WHO grade 1 may be good enough from a medium to long-term follow-up perspective, though longer follow-up is absolutely necessary.

Anterior and Posterior Segmental Decompression and Fusion for Severely Localized Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament of the Cervical Spine: Technical Note.

The surgical strategy for severely localized ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of the cervical spine is still not straightforward. We describe the surgical technique of extended anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with partial resection of OPLL followed by posterior cervical segmental decompression and fusion (PCDF). This study investigated five patients with severely localized OPLL with an occupying ratio more than 60%. Extended ACDF comprising a modified technique with a trans-unco-discal approach and partial oblique corpectomy was first attempted to achieve neural decompression of the spinal cord and nerve roots at the most prominent level of the OPLL. The OPLL was partially resected to reduce the axial occupying ratio or ensure that the OPLL did not exceed the imaginary line between the midpoint between C2 and C7 on sagittal images. PCDF was then performed to achieve satisfactory decompression of neural elements and cervical stability. One patient underwent one-stage surgery and the remaining four patients underwent two-stage surgery. No patients received spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage and demonstrated CSF leakage after surgery. All patients showed acceptable or satisfactory functional recovery. No instrumentation-related complications were encountered. Radiological analysis demonstrated that all except one patient (OPLL associated with ankylosing spinal hyperostosis) revealed improvements in local angle, C2-7 angle and cervical tilt angle. This anterior and posterior segmental decompression and fusion for severely localized OPLL of the cervical spine remains technically demanding in some parts, but can offer satisfactory decompression of neural elements and stabilization of the cervical spine when applied appropriately.

Quantitative Analysis of Near-Infrared Indocyanine Green Videoangiography for Predicting Functional Outcomes After Spinal Intramedullary Ependymoma Resection.

BACKGROUND: One of the most critical steps in surgery for spinal intramedullary ependymomas is the resection of small feeding arteries from the anterior spinal artery with anatomical preservation of the normal circulation of the ventral spinal cord. OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively analyze the microcirculation of the ventral spinal cord by near-infrared indocyanine green videoangiography (ICG-VA) after the spinal intramedullary ependymoma resection. METHODS: This retrospective study included 12 patients (7 male and 5 female; average age 55.2 years, range 36-79 years). Patients' neurological conditions were assessed based on the modified McCormick functional schema of grade 1 (neurologically normal) to 5 (severe deficit). Postoperative functional assessment was conducted at least 3 months after surgery. Quantitative analysis of vascular flow dynamics was carried out following spinal intramedullary ependymoma resection. Fluorescence intensities were measured and the indocyanine green (ICG) intensity-time curves were analyzed and compared with the functional outcomes after surgery. RESULTS: Microscopically total or subtotal resection of the intramedullary ependymoma was achieved in all cases. Average peak time on ICG-VA was significantly shorter in the postoperative functional grade 1 to 2 group than in the postoperative functional grade 3 to 5 group, but there was no significant difference in average peak intensity between the 2 groups. Postoperative functional grade and the peak time of ICG, but not peak intensity, appeared correlated. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing that quantitative analysis of ICG-VA may predict functional outcomes after spinal intramedullary ependymoma resection.

Spheno-Orbital Meningioma: Surgical Outcomes and Management of Recurrence.

OBJECTIVE: Spheno-orbital meningioma (SOM) is a rare intracranial tumor that arises at the sphenoid wing, extends into the orbit, and is associated with hyperostosis of the sphenoid bone. These tumors often invade important neurovascular structures around the orbital apex, superior orbital fissure, and cavernous sinus. Aggressive tumor removal could achieve acceptable control; however, residual tumor can regrow. In this article, our surgical management and long-term outcomes are described. METHODS: Retrospectively, 12 patients with SOM who were treated surgically over a 21-year period were included. The clinical features and long-term tumor control were evaluated. RESULTS: Participants comprised 12 patients (5 men and 7 women). Mean follow-up was 74.4 months (range, 10-262 months). Ten patients (83%) were identified as World Health Organization grade 1 (WHO-I), and 2 patients (17%) were identified as WHO grade 2 (WHO-II). We encountered 4 recurrences, 2 of which needed additional surgeries. One patient with WHO-I (10%) experienced recurrence 10 years after the initial surgery and required a second surgery. Two patients with WHO-I (20%) showed slight regrowth of residual tumor around the superior orbital fissure; nevertheless, additive therapy was not recommended. Despite radical tumor resection, including eyeball and adjunctive radiotherapy for 1 patient with WHO-II, tumor recurrence in the posterior fossa was documented 19 years after the initial aggressive surgery. CONCLUSIONS: SOM follows a relatively benign clinical course given the invasive radiologic findings. Abnormal bone resection is paramount to prevent early-stage recurrence. Although intradural residual tumor might regrow, additional surgery could achieve reasonable long-term tumor control with better outcome.

Usefulness of the anterior transpetrosal approach for pontine cavernous malformations.

Surgical resection of pontine cavernous malformation remains a particularly formidable challenge. We report the surgical outcome of eight cases with pontine cavernous malformations operated using the anterior transpetrosal approach. All cases presented with neurological deficits caused by hemorrhage before surgery. Gross-total removal was achieved in all cases without any postoperative complication such as worsening of facial nerve palsy, ocular movement disorder, or hemiplegia. A small incision of the pons with multidirectional dissection is the most important factor for minimizing postoperative neurological deficits, so resection of a pontine cavernous malformation via this approach can be an alternative better option. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/2Q2CUhBbo28.

Image-guided Spine Stabilization for Traumatic Or Osteoporotic Spine Injury: Radiological Accuracy and Neurological Outcome.

Significant progress has been made in image-guided surgery (IGS) over the last few decades. IGS can be effectively applied to spinal instrumentation surgery. In the present study, we focused our attention on the feasibility and safety of image-guided spine stabilization for traumatic or osteoporotic spine injury. The IGS spine fixation with or without minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques such as percutaneous screw placement, balloon kyphoplasty (BKP), or vertebroplasty (VP) were accomplished in 80 patients with traumatic or osteoprotic spine injury between 2007 and 2015. The injured vertebral levels included the following: cervical spine, 41; thoracic spine, 22; and lumbar spine, 17. Neurological condition before and after surgery was assessed using the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS). A total of 419 pedicle, lateral mass, or laminar screws were placed, and 399 screws (95.2%) were found to be placed correctly based on postoperative computed tomography scan. Although 20 screws (4.8%) were found to be unexpectedly placed incorrectly, no neural or vascular complications closely associated with screw placement were encountered. Neurological outcomes appeared to be acceptable or successful based on AIS. The IGS is a promising technique that can improve the accuracy of screw placement and reduce potential injury to critical neurovascular structures. The integration of MIS and IGS has proved feasible and safe in the treatment of traumatic or osteoporotic spine injury, although a thorough knowledge of surgical anatomy, spine biomechanics, and basic technique remain the most essential aspects for a successful surgery.

A minimum 2-year comparative study of autologous cancellous bone grafting versus beta-tricalcium phosphate in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion using a rectangular titanium stand-alone cage.

Although titanium stand-alone cages are commonly used in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), there are several concerns such as cage subsidence after surgery. The efficacy of ß-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) granules as a packing material in 1- or 2-level ACDF using a rectangular titanium stand-alone cage is not fully understood. The purpose of this study is to investigate the validity of rectangular titanium stand-alone cages in 1- and 2-level ACDF with ß-TCP. This retrospective study included 55 consecutive patients who underwent ACDF with autologous iliac cancellous bone grafting and 45 consecutive patients with ß-TCP grafting. All patients completed at least 2-year postoperative follow-up. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine the associations between study variables and nonunion after surgery. Significant neurological recovery after surgery was obtained in both groups. Cage subsidence was noted in 14 of 72 cages (19.4 %) in the autograft group and 12 of 64 cages (18.8 %) in the ß-TCP group. A total of 66 cages (91.7 %) in the autograft group showed osseous or partial union, and 58 cages (90.6 %) in the ß-TCP group showed osseous or partial union by 2 years after surgery. There were no significant differences in cage subsidence and the bony fusion rate between the two groups. Multivariate analysis using a logistic regression model showed that fusion level at C6/7, 2-level fusion, and cage subsidence of grades 2-3 were significantly associated with nonunion at 2 years after surgery. Although an acceptable surgical outcome with negligible complication appears to justify the use of rectangular titanium stand-alone cages in 1- and 2-level ACDF with ß-TCP, cage subsidence after surgery needs to be avoided to achieve acceptable bony fusion at the fused segments. Fusion level at C6/7 or 2-level fusion may be another risk factor of nonunion.

Posterolateral approach for spinal intradural meningioma with ventral attachment.

BACKGROUND: Spinal meningioma with ventral attachment is a challenging pathology. Several technical modifications have been proposed to secure safe and precise resection of these tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study focused on the precise and safe surgery of spinal meningiomas with strictly ventral attachment of cervical or thoracic spine. The surgical technique included a lateral oblique position for the patient, laminectomy with unilateral medial facetectomy on the tumor side, and spinal cord rotation with the dentate ligament. The neurological status of patients was assessed using the modified McCormick functional schema (mMFS) and sensory pain scale (SPS) before and at least 3 months after surgery. Patients were followed-up for a mean of 23.7 months. Tumor removal was graded using the Simpson grade for removal of meningiomas, and the extent of excision was confirmed using early postoperative magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Simpson grade 1 or 2 resections were achieved in all cases. No major surgery-related complications were encountered, postoperatively. The mean mMFS score before surgery was 3.1, improving significantly to 1.7 after surgery (P < 0.05). The mean SPS score before surgery was 2.4, improving significantly to 1.6 after surgery (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This surgical technique offers a posterolateral surgical corridor to the ventral canal of both cervical and thoracic spine. The present preliminary analysis suggests that functional outcomes were satisfactory with minimal surgery-related complications, although considerable surgical experience is needed to achieve a high level of surgical confidence.

Prediction of the efficacy of surgical intervention in patients with cervical myelopathy by using diffusion tensor 3T-magnetic resonance imaging parameters.

BACKGROUND: The clinical significance of diffusion tensor (DT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters was analyzed to predict postoperative functional recovery in patients with cervical myelopathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients with cervical myelopathy caused by cervical spondylosis, disk herniation or ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament who underwent surgical intervention in our institute were enrolled in this retrospective study. There were 7 men and 9 women, with a mean age of 62.8 years. Clinical assessment was done before surgery and at least 3 months after surgery. All patients underwent whole-body 3.0-Tesla MRI before surgery. DT images (DTIs) were obtained using a single-shot fast spin-echo-based sequence. Mean values of mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) at 6 disk levels of the cervical spine were measured using manual setting of regions of interest. The MD and FA values at the most compressed part were analyzed. Absolute MD and FA values at the most compressed spinal level in patients were transformed into the normalized values with a z-score analysis. RESULTS: MD-z may decrease with the severity of cervical myelopathy. Receiver operating characteristic analysis of MD-z and FA-z suggested that both MD-z and FA-z have clinical validity for predicting the efficacy of surgical intervention, but MD-z was considered to be the most appropriate value to predict the efficacy of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: DTIs may be a promising modality to predict functional recovery after surgery. MD changes may reflect spinal cord condition and its reversibility.

Qualitative analysis of spinal intramedullary lesions using PET/CT.

OBJECT Although the usefulness of PET for brain lesions has been established, few reports have examined the use of PET for spinal intramedullary lesions. This study investigated the diagnostic utility of PET/CT for spinal intramedullary lesions. METHODS l-[methyl-11C]-methionine (MET)- or [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET/CT was performed in 26 patients with spinal intramedullary lesions. The region of interest (ROI) within the spinal cord parenchyma was placed manually in the axial plane. Maximum pixel counts in the ROIs were normalized to the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) using subject body weight. For FDG-PET the SUVmax was corrected for lean body mass (SULmax) to exclude any influence of the patient's body shape. Each SUV was analyzed based on histopathological results after surgery. The diagnostic validity of the SUV was further compared with the tumor proliferation index using the MIB-1 monoclonal antibody (MIB-1 index). RESULTS A total of 16 patients underwent both FDG-PET and MET-PET, and the remaining 10 patients underwent either FDG-PET or MET-PET. Pathological diagnoses included high-grade malignancy such as glioblastoma multiforme, anaplastic astrocytoma, or anaplastic ependymoma in 5 patients; low-grade malignancy such as hemangioblastoma, diffuse astrocytoma, or ependymoma in 12 patients; and nonneoplastic lesion including cavernous malformation in 9 patients. Both FDG and MET accumulated significantly in high-grade malignancy, and the SULmax and SUVmax correlated with the tumor proliferation index. Therapeutic response after chemotherapy or radiation in high-grade malignancy was well monitored. However, a significant difference in SULmax and SUVmax for FDG-PET and MET-PET was not evident between low-grade malignancy and nonneoplastic lesions. CONCLUSIONS Spinal PET/CT using FDG or MET for spinal intramedullary lesions appears useful and practical, particularly for tumors with high-grade malignancy. Differentiation of tumors with low-grade malignancy from nonneoplastic lesions may still prove difficult. Further technological refinement, including the selection of radiotracer or analysis evaluation methods, is needed.

Surgical management of solitary nerve sheath tumors of the cervical spine: a retrospective case analysis based on tumor location and extension.

Complete resection of spinal nerve sheath tumors (NSTs) does not always result in significant neurological deficit. The purpose of this retrospective case analysis was to discuss the optimal surgical strategy for spinal NST of the cervical spine. Twenty-four patients who underwent surgery for solitary cervical NST over the past decade were included in this retrospective study. Patients with neurofibromatosis or schwannomatosis were excluded. Seventeen of the 24 cases (70.8%) showed extradural dumbbell extension, most frequently at the C1 or C2 vertebral level. Neurological condition was assessed using the modified McCormick functional schema and sensory pain scale. Total removal of the tumor was achieved in 20 of 24 cases (83.3%). Staged surgery using combined anterior and posterior approaches was applied for 2 of 17 cases with extradural dumbbell extension. Tumor involvement with nerve root fibers critical for upper extremity function (C5-C8) was recognized in 6 of 24 cases (25.0%), with complete resection in all 6 cases. Final assessment of neurological function revealed satisfactory or acceptable recovery in all 6 patients. Spinal NSTs with extradural dumbbell extension are a common condition in the cervical spine. Complete removal of spinal NST of the cervical spine may carry a risk of permanent neurological deficit, but such sequelae appeared to be the exception in the present case analysis. A radical and safe surgical strategy, including staged surgery combining anterior and posterior approaches, should be tailored to the individual case.

Surgical management of spinal meningiomas: A retrospective case analysis based on preoperative surgical grade.

BACKGROUND: Although spinal meningiomas respond favorably to surgical excision, their surgical management is impacted by several factors. This study utilized a surgery-based grading system to discuss the optimal surgical strategy. METHODS: Twenty-three consecutive patients who underwent surgery for spinal meningiomas were included in this retrospective study. The patients' neurological condition was assessed using the modified McCormick functional schema (mMFS) and sensory pain scale (SPS), and tumor removal was assessed using Simpson grade. Major factors contributing to surgical difficulty included; tumor size, extent/severity of cord compression, location of tumor attachment, spinal level, and anatomical relationships plus tumor extending in a dumbbell shape and local postoperative recurrence. RESULTS: Fifteen cases were classified as ventral attachment (65.2%). There were two dumbbell-shaped tumors and three local recurrences at the primary site. Simpson grade 1 or 2 resections were performed in 18 of 20 cases (90%) with preoperative surgical grades 0 to 3. Simpson grade 4 resections were achieved in all three cases with preoperative surgical grades 4 to 5. Overall neurological assessment after surgery revealed the satisfactory or acceptable recovery on mMFS and SPS analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Lower preoperative grade yielded better results, while the higher the preoperative grade, the more likely tumor was insufficiently removed. A preoperative surgical grading system appeared to be helpful when considering the surgical strategy. Ventral meningiomas could be safely resected via the posterolateral or lateral approach using technical modifications. Recurrent tumors, especially with ventral attachment, were hard to resolve, and primary surgery appears to be important.

Intraoperative assessment of spinal vascular flow in the surgery of spinal intramedullary tumors using indocyanine green videoangiography.

BACKGROUND: The authors demonstrate the utility of indocyanine green videoangiography (ICG-VA) for intraoperative vascular flow assessment in the surgery of a variety of spinal intramedullary tumors to achieve an additional level of safety as well as precision with the surgical procedure. METHODS: Fourteen patients with spinal intramedullary tumors (nine cervical and five thoracic) operated on between August 2011 and April 2013 were included in the present study. A fluorescence surgical microscope was used to perform ICG-VA after standard exposure of the lesion to assess the dynamic flow of the spinal microvasculature. RESULTS: Twenty-seven ICG-VA injections were performed in 14 cases. Pathological diagnosis of the tumors included ependymoa, astrocytoma, cavernous malformation, or hemagioblastoma. There were no complications or side-effects related to ICG-VA. Intraoperative ICG-VA provided dynamic flow images of the spinal microvasculature in accordance with the progress of surgical procedures. Angiographic images could be divided into arterial, capillary, and venous phases. All angiographic images were well integrated into the microscopic view. The utility of ICG-VA could be summarized into three categories: (1) Localization of normal spinal arteries and veins, (2) assessment of posterior spinal venous circulation, and (3) differentiation of feeding arteries, tumor, and draining veins. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative vascular flow assessment using ICG-VA was easy, repeatable, and practical without any significant procedure-related risks. ICG-VA can be used for careful analysis of spinal microvascular flow or anatomical orientation, which is necessary to ensure safe and precise resection of spinal intramedullary tumors.