title: Perfusion computed tomography of intracranial meningiomas: In vivo correlation of cerebral blood volume and vascular permeability.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A noninvasive method to predict the grade of a meningioma would be desirable since it would anticipate information about tumour nature, recurrence and improve tumour management and outcomes. The aim of the present study was to assess the ability of perfusion computed tomography (PCT) technique in predicting the meningioma grade before surgery. Data from PCT, such as cerebral blood volume (CBV) and permeability surface (PS), were correlated with immunohistolopathological information.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-three patients with a diagnosis of intracranial meningioma underwent PCT for pre-surgical evaluation of CBV and PS. During surgery, samples from the centre and periphery of the tumour were obtained. Two correspondent regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn on CBV and PS maps. Central and peripheral CBV and PS mean values were calculated. PCT parameters were correlated to CD-34 and endoglin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a positive correlation between PS and CD-34. No correlation was found between PS values and endoglin, CBV values and CD-34 and endoglin values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that PCT may support conventional morphological imaging in predicting meningioma grading before surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Granata
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morabito
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Concetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alafaci
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Barresi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomasello
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vinci
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Italy enricomaria.mormina@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Enricomaria
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mormina
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calamuneri
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grasso
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, A.O. Ospedali Riuniti Papardo-Piemonte, University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco Maria
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Salpietro
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Longo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001810:Blood Volume; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008579:Meningioma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D055420:Perfusion Imaging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: CD-34; Meningioma; endoglin; neoangiogenesis; perfusion computed tomography; permeability surface-area product