Is postoperative imaging mandatory after meningioma removal? Results of a prospective study.
BACKGROUND
Routine postoperative imaging (PI) following surgery for intracranial meningiomas is common practice in most neurosurgical departments. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of routine PI and its impact on clinical decision making after resection of meningioma.


METHODS
Patient and tumor characteristics, details of radiographic scans, symptoms and alteration of treatment courses were prospectively collected for patients undergoing removal of a supratentorial meningioma of the convexity, falx, tentorium, or lateral sphenoid wing at the authors' institution between January 1st, 2010 and March 31st, 2012. Patients with infratentorial manifestations or meningiomas of the skull base known to be surgically difficult (e.g. olfactory groove, petroclival, medial sphenoid wing) were not included. Maximum tumor diameter was divided into groups of < 3 cm (small), 3 to 6 cm (medium), and > 6 cm (large).


RESULTS
206 patients with meningiomas were operated between January 2010 and March 2012. Of these, 113 patients met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in this study. 83 patients (73.5%) did not present new neurological deficits, whereas 30 patients (26.5%) became clinically symptomatic. Symptomatic patients had a change in treatment after PI in 21 cases (70%), while PI was without consequence in 9 patients (30%). PI did not result in a change of treatment in all asymptomatic patients (p<0.001) irrespective of tumor size (p<0.001) or localization (p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
PI is mandatory for clinically symptomatic patients but it is safe to waive it in clinically asymptomatic patients, even if the meningioma was large in size.
Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528, Frankfurt, Germany.
Florian
F
Geßler
Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528, Frankfurt, Germany.
Stephan
S
Dützmann
Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528, Frankfurt, Germany.
Johanna
J
Quick
Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528, Frankfurt, Germany.
Karima
K
Tizi
Institute of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528, Frankfurt, Germany.
Melanie Alexandra
MA
Voigt
Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528, Frankfurt, Germany.
Haitham
H
Mutlak
Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528, Frankfurt, Germany.
Hartmut
H
Vatter
Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528, Frankfurt, Germany.
Volker
V
Seifert
Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528, Frankfurt, Germany.
Christian
C
Senft
D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008579:Meningioma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome