BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Demographic changes will lead to an increase in old patients, a population with significant risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality, requiring neurosurgery for meningiomas. This multicenter study aims to report neurofunctional status after resection of patients with supratentorial meningioma aged 80 years or older, to identify factors associated with outcome, and to validate a previously proposed decision support tool. METHODS: Neurofunctional status was assessed by the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS). Patients were categorized in poor (KPS ≤40), intermediate (KPS 50-70), and good (KPS ≥80) preoperative subgroups. Volumetric analyses of tumor and peritumoral brain edema (PTBE) were performed; volumes were scored as small (50 cm³). RESULTS: The study population consisted of 262 patients, and the median age at surgery was 83.0 years. The median preoperative KPS was 70; 117 (44.7%) patients were allotted to the good, 113 (43.1%) to the intermediate, and 32 (12.2%) to the poor subgroup. The median tumor and PTBE volumes were 30.2 cm³ and 27.3 cm³; large PTBE volume correlated with poor preoperative KPS status (P = .008). The 90-day and 1-year mortality rates were 9.0% and 13.2%, respectively. Within the first postoperative year, 101 (38.5%) patients improved, 87 (33.2%) were unchanged, and 74 (28.2%) were functionally worse (including deaths). Each year increase of age associated with 44% (23%-70%) increased risk of 90-day and 1-year mortality. In total, 111 (42.4%) patients suffered from surgery-associated complications. Maximum tumor diameter ≥5 cm (odds ratio 1.87 [1.12-3.13]) and large tumor volume (odds ratio 2.35 [1.01-5.50]) associated with increased risk of complications. Among patients with poor preoperative status and large PTBE, most (58.3%) benefited from surgery. CONCLUSION: Patients with poor preoperative neurofunctional status and large PTBE most often showed postoperative improvements. The decision support tool may be of help in identifying cases that most likely benefit from surgery.

Objective: Medial sphenoid wing meningiomas are among the three most common intracranial meningiomas. These tumors pose a challenge to neurosurgeons in terms of surgical treatment, as they may involve critical neurovascular structures and invade the cavernous sinus. In case of the latter, a complete resection may not be achievable. The purpose of this study was to investigate prognostic features affecting recurrence and progression-free survival (PFS) of medial sphenoid wing meningiomas involving the cavernous sinus, focusing on the contribution of surgery and postoperative radiotherapy. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of the database of our institution, and 105 cases of medial sphenoid wing meningioma with invasion of the cavernous sinus, which were treated between 1998 and 2019, were included. Surgical treatment only was performed in 64 cases, and surgical treatment plus postoperative radiotherapy was performed in 41 cases. Kaplan–Meier analysis was conducted to estimate median survival and PFS rates, and Cox regression analysis was applied to determine significant factors that were associated with each therapeutic modality. Results: The risk of recurrence was significantly reduced after near-total resection (NTR) (p-value = 0.0011) compared to subtotal resection. Progression-free survival was also significantly prolonged after postoperative radiotherapy (p-value = 0.0002). Conclusions: Maximal safe resection and postoperative stereotactic radiotherapy significantly reduced the recurrence rate of medial sphenoid wing meningiomas with infiltration of the cavernous sinus.

BACKGROUND: Bilateral acute subdural hematomas (aSDHs) present a significant challenge for neurosurgeons, particularly due to the risk of contralateral hematoma enlargement following unilateral evacuation and subsequent volume shifts. This complexity is further compounded in elderly patients with preexisting health conditions. OBSERVATIONS: This case report presents a novel minimally invasive approach for managing bilateral aSDHs in a 76-year-old female. The patient developed bilateral aSDHs following head trauma and was considered high risk for general anesthesia and bilateral craniotomies. A minimally invasive technique was utilized, involving twist-drill craniostomy under local anesthesia combined with pressure-controlled fibrinolytic therapy using the IRRAflow and LiquoGuard 7 systems. The patient was treated with continuous pressure–controlled irrigation therapy using an electrolyte solution containing 200,000 IU/l of urokinase infused at a rate of 100 ml/hr. The patient showed significant improvement, with complete resolution of the hematomas and no residual neurological deficits. LESSONS: This case demonstrates the effectiveness of minimally invasive techniques that avoid the risks associated with general anesthesia and craniotomies. While these findings are promising, they should be interpreted with caution and require prospective confirmation in a larger cohort of patients. Nonetheless, they align with the recent literature that supports minimally invasive approaches for aSDHs. https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE24577

Background: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) frequently triggers systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). SIRS has been associated with inferior outcomes and, specifically, delayed cerebral infarction after aneurysmal SAH. Here, we assess the impact of intracranial blood clearance through stereotactic catheter ventriculocisternostomy on SIRS in patients with aneurysmal SAH. Methods: We assessed daily SIRS criteria (heart rate > 90 beats/min, respiratory rate > 20 breaths/min or abnormal respiratory coefficient, temperature > 38 °C or < 36 °C, white blood cell count < 4000 or > 12,000 cells/mm³) between admission and day 21 in 80 consecutive patients who underwent cisternal lavage through stereotactic catheter ventriculocisternostomy from 2015 to 2022. These patients were compared with 80 matched controls who received treatment at our institution between 2010 and 2015. We conducted a mixed effects model analysis using restricted maximum likelihood estimation to assess the effects of treatment groups on the SIRS rate while accounting for repeated measures. Additionally, Bonferroni’s correction was employed to examine specific differences between groups at different time points. Results: The mean percentages of patients meeting SIRS criteria during the first 21 days after aneurysmal SAH were 23% in the matched cohort group and 14% in patients who underwent cisternal lavage (p < 0.001). Additionally, significant differences were observed in the mean leukocyte count (p = 0.047), mean heart rate (p = 0.019), and mean respiratory rate (p = 0.0018) between the two groups. However, there was no significant difference in mean body temperature (p = 0.36). Conclusions: Intracranial blood clearance and cisternal lavage after aneurysmal SAH is associated with a decline in SIRS prevalence and severity.

Background: Falcotentorial meningiomas are exceptionally uncommon tumors, presenting a challenge for neurosurgeons due to their close proximity to vital structures. Gross total resection represents the standard of treatment for these tumors. However, care must be taken when surgically approaching these lesions, since damaging neurovascular structures may cause unacceptable morbidity. Selecting the optimal surgical approach for each tumor is of paramount importance when treating these patients. Methods: The authors reviewed medical records to identify all patients with falcotentorial meningiomas who underwent resection at the University Hospital of Freiburg between January 2001 and December 2021. Clinical and imaging data, surgical management, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Results: Falcotentorial meningiomas occurred in 0.7% (15 of 2124 patients) of patients with intracranial meningiomas. Of these 15 patients, 8 were female and 7 male. The occipital interhemispheric approach was used in nine patients, the supracerebellar infratentorial approach in five patients, and the retrosigmoidal approach in one patient. Three patients developed visual field deficits after surgical resection. Incomplete resection was significantly associated with tumor progression (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Individualized surgical strategies, guided by preoperative imaging and classification systems, play a crucial role in optimizing patient care. Among the available approaches, the occipital interhemispheric and supracerebellar infratentorial approaches are frequently employed and considered among the safest options for these tumors.

Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is a common neurosurgical condition with substantial recurrence after conventional evacuation. In June 2023, we introduced twist-drill craniostomy with pressure-controlled fibrinolytic irrigation therapy (TDC-FIT), developed for patients at elevated recurrence risk. This study evaluates the safety and effectiveness of TDC-FIT in reducing cSDH recurrence compared with standard approaches. We performed a retrospective comparative analysis of all consecutive cSDH procedures from January 2021 to December 2024, including twist-drill craniostomy (TDC), open craniotomy (OC), and TDC-FIT. The primary endpoint was reoperation within six months for symptomatic recurrence or inadequate evacuation—defined as residual hematoma ≥10 mm, midline shift, or persistent symptoms. Secondary endpoints included perioperative complications and outcome. A total of 779 procedures were performed in 491 patients: 698 TDC (89.6%), 40 OC (5.1%), 34 TDC-FIT (4.4%), and 7 others. Overall recurrence per procedure was 30.0%. Hematoma-related membranes strongly predicted recurrence (OR 3.4; p < 0.0001). Recurrence after TDC-FIT was 8.8%, significantly lower than TDC (30.1%) and OC (25.0%) (p = 0.024). In membranous hematomas, recurrence reached 45.0% after TDC, 24.3% after OC, and 9.7% after TDC-FIT (p = 0.001). Predictive modeling matched observed recurrence for TDC but markedly overestimated recurrence for TDC-FIT and OC. Adverse events were lowest after TDC (7.4%) and TDC-FIT (8.8%) and highest after OC (20.0%). Over time, practice shifted toward minimally invasive techniques with increasing adoption of TDC-FIT. TDC-FIT demonstrated a favorable safety profile and substantially reduced recurrence compared with conventional techniques, supporting its integration as an effective minimally invasive alternative.