No abstract

3.

Surgery for spinal intramedullary tumors remains one of the major challenges for neurosurgeons, due to their relative infrequency, unknown natural history, and surgical difficulty. We are sure that safe and precise resection of spinal intramedullary tumors, particularly encapsulated benign tumors, can result in acceptable or satisfactory postoperative outcomes. General surgical concepts and strategies, technical consideration, and functional outcomes after surgery are discussed with illustrative cases of spinal intramedullary benign tumors such as ependymoma, cavernous malformation, and hemangioblastoma. Selection of a posterior median sulcus, posterolateral sulcus, or direct transpial approach was determined based on the preoperative imaging diagnosis and careful inspection of the spinal cord surface. Tumor-cord interface was meticulously delineated in cases of benign encapsulated tumors. Our retrospective functional analysis of 24 consecutive cases of spinal intramedullary ependymoma followed for at least 6 months postoperatively demonstrated a mean grade on the modified McCormick functional schema of 1.8 before surgery, deteriorating significantly to 2.6 early after surgery (< 1 month after surgery), and finally returning to 1.7 in the late postoperative period (> 6 months after surgery). The risk of functional deterioration after surgery should be taken into serious consideration. Functional deterioration after surgery, including neuropathic pain even long after surgery, significantly affects patient quality of life. Better balance between tumor control and functional preservation can be achieved not only by the surgical technique or expertise, but also by intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring, vascular image guidance, and postoperative supportive care. Quality of life after surgery should inarguably be given top priority.

Although intraoperative image guidance is certainly not a prerequisite, the concept of safe and minimally invasive surgery makes it indispensable. It can facilitate identification of crucial or important landmarks where anatomic structures may be distorted.

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.