title: Sodium fluorescein in skull base meningiomas: a technical note.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Skull base meningiomas are a neurosurgical challenge due to the involvement of neurovascular structures. In this study, the authors present the first study of the trans-operative use of sodium fluorescein (SF) to enhance skull base meningiomas and perform a quantitative digital analysis of the tumors' pigmentation. The goal of the study was to observe the SF enhancement of skull base meningiomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, within-subjects study was designed and performed. This study included twelve patients with skull base meningiomas. After an initial dissection, digital pictures were taken before and after systematic injections of SF using the same light-source used for the surgical microscope. These pictures were analyzed with software that calculated the wavelengths of the sodium fluorescein before and after the injection of the dye.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The meningiomas in the sample included the following types: 1 cavernous sinus, 1 olfactory groove, 3 petroclival, 1 tuberculum sellae, 3 sphenoid wings, 1 anterior clinoid, and 2 temporal floor. The SF enhancement in all tumors was strongly positive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The low cost, universal availability and safety of SF indicate that this dye should be examined in further studies, and its applications in skull-base meningioma surgeries should be further assessed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Skull Base Surgery, ICBC - Instituto de Cirurgia da Base do Crânio, Hospital Ernesto Dornelles, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: carlos@icbc-neurocirurgia.com.br.
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Radiation, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul - PUCRS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vinicius Duval
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: Service of Hand Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul - PUCRS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jefferson Luis Braga
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: da Silva
mesh_terms: D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019793:Fluorescein / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008579:Meningioma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D011859:Radiography; D019292:Skull Base Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019793:Fluorescein
keywords: Fluorescent guided surgery; Fluorescent markers; Meningiomas; Skull base