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Othman Bin-Alamer, Jumanah Qedair, Paolo Palmisciano, Arka N. Mallela, Gautam M. Nayar, Victor M. Lu, Mohamed A. Labib, Michael J. Lang, Bradley A. Gross, David J. Langer, William T. Couldwell, Robert M. Friedlander, and Hussam Abou-Al-Shaar
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to describe the efficacy, clinical outcomes, and complications of open cerebrovascular surgery, endovascular surgery, and conservative management of dolichoectatic vertebrobasilar aneurysms (DVBAs).
METHODS
Relevant articles were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases according to PRISMA guidelines. A meta-analysis was conducted for clinical presentation, treatment protocols, and clinical outcomes—good (improved or stable clinical status) or poor (deteriorated clinical status or death)—and mortality rates.
RESULTS
The 9 identified articles described 41 cases (27.5%) of open cerebrovascular surgery, 61 endovascular procedures (40.9%), and 47 cases (31.5%) of conservative management for DVBAs. The total cohort had a good outcome rate of 51.9% (95% CI 28.3%–74.6%), a poor outcome rate of 45.5% (95% CI 23.0%–70.1%), and a mortality rate of 22.3% (95% CI 11.8%–38.0%). The treatment groups had comparable good clinical outcome rates (open cerebrovascular surgery group: 24.7% [95% CI 2.9%–78.2%]; endovascular surgery group: 69.0% [95% CI 28.7%–92.5%]; conservative management group: 57.7% [95% CI 13.0%–92.5%]; p = 0.19) and poor outcome rates (open vascular surgery group: 75.3% [95% CI 21.8%–97.1%]; endovascular surgery group: 27.2% [95% CI 5.6%–0.70.2%]; conservative management group: 39.9% [95% CI 9.1%–81.6%]; p = 0.15). The treatment groups also had comparable mortality rates (open vascular surgery group: 39.5% [95% CI 11.4%–76.8%]; endovascular surgery group: 15.8% [95% CI 4.4%–43.0%]; conservative management group: 19.2% [95% CI 6.8%–43.5%]; p = 0.23).
CONCLUSIONS
The current study of DVBAs illustrated poor outcomes and high mortality rates regardless of the treatment modality. The subgroup analysis showed heterogeneity among the subgroups and advice for personalized management.
Michael T. Bounajem, Evan Joyce, Jonathan P. Scoville, Joshua Seinfeld, Jessa Hoffman, Jonathan A. Grossberg, Vanesha Waiters, Andrew C. White, John Nerva, Jan-Karl Burkhardt, Daniel A. Tonetti, Kareem El Naamani, M. Reid Gooch, Pascal Jabbour, Stavropoula Tjoumakaris, Santiago Ortega Gutierrez, Michael R. Levitt, Michael Lang, William J. Ares, Sohum Desai, Justin R. Mascitelli, Craig J. Kilburg, Karol P. Budohoski, William T. Couldwell, Bradley A. Gross, and Ramesh Grandhi
OBJECTIVE
Ruptured blister, dissecting, and iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms are rare pathologies that pose significant challenges from a treatment standpoint. Endovascular treatment via flow diversion represents an increasingly popular option; however, drawbacks include the requirement for dual antiplatelet therapy and the potential for thromboembolic complications, particularly acute complications in the ruptured setting. The Pipeline Flex embolization device with Shield Technology (PED-Shield) offers reduced material thrombogenicity, which may aid in the treatment of ruptured internal carotid artery pseudoaneurysms.
METHODS
The authors conducted a multi-institution, retrospective case series to determine the safety and efficacy of PED-Shield for the treatment of ruptured blister, dissecting, and iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms of the internal carotid artery. Clinical, radiographic, treatment, and outcomes data were collected.
RESULTS
Thirty-three patients were included in the final analysis. Seventeen underwent placement of a single device, and 16 underwent placement of two devices. No thromboembolic complications occurred. Four patients were maintained on aspirin alone, and all others were treated with long-term dual antiplatelet therapy. Among patients with 3-month follow-up, 93.8% had a modified Rankin Scale score of 0–2. Complete occlusion at follow-up was observed in 82.6% of patients.
CONCLUSIONS
PED-Shield represents a new option for the treatment of ruptured blister, dissecting, and iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms of the internal carotid artery. The reduced material thrombogenicity appeared to improve the safety of the PED-Shield device, as this series demonstrated no thromboembolic complications even among patients treated with only single antiplatelet therapy. The efficacy of PED-Shield reported in this series, particularly with placement of two devices, demonstrates its potential as a first-line treatment option for these pathologies.
William T. Couldwell and James T. Rutka
William T. Couldwell, Robert E. Harbaugh, and James T. Rutka
Nicholas T. Gamboa, Christopher Wilkerson, Bornali Kundu, Brandon A. Sherrod, Andrew T. Dailey, and William T. Couldwell
BACKGROUND
Pituitary carcinoma is a rare tumor of the adenohypophysis with noncontiguous craniospinal dissemination and/or systemic metastases. Given the rarity of this malignancy, there is limited knowledge and consensus regarding its natural history, prognosis, and optimal treatment.
OBSERVATIONS
The authors present the case of a 46-year-old woman initially treated with invasive prolactin-secreting pituitary macroadenoma who developed metastatic disease of the cervical spine 6 years later. The patient presented with acutely worsening compressive cervical myelopathy and required posterior cervical decompression, tumor resection, and instrumented arthrodesis for posterolateral fusion.
LESSONS
This case underscores the importance of long-term monitoring of hormone levels and having a high clinical suspicion for metastatic disease to the spine in patients presenting with acute myelopathy or radiculopathy in the setting of previously treated invasive secreting pituitary adenoma.
Karol P. Budohoski, Robert C. Rennert, Steven A. Gordon, Amol Raheja, Cameron Brandon, J. Curran Henson, Mohammed A. Azab, Neil S. Patel, Michael Karsy, Richard K. Gurgel, Clough Shelton, and William T. Couldwell
OBJECTIVE
The middle fossa approach is an effective option for the treatment of small (Koos grade I and II) vestibular schwannomas (VSs) when the goal is hearing preservation. The authors evaluated the rates of hearing preservation and examined the factors associated with improved hearing outcomes after the middle fossa approach for VSs.
METHODS
In this retrospective, single-center cohort study evaluating the clinical outcomes after resection of small VSs using the middle fossa approach, consecutive adult patients (> 18 years) who underwent surgery between January 2000 and December 2021 were included. Clinical and imaging characteristics were analyzed, including baseline hearing status, duration of surgery, anesthetic parameters, and imaging characteristics of the surgically treated tumors.
RESULTS
Among the 131 included patients, 102 had valid and discoverable pre- and postoperative audiology assessments. The mean follow-up was 26 months (range 1–180 months). There were 85 patients with serviceable hearing preoperatively, defined as American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) class A or B, of whom 78% retained class A or B hearing at the last follow-up. Binary logistic regression demonstrated that preoperative hearing AAO-HNS class (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.05–0.77; p = 0.02), overlap between fundus and cochlea (OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.11–0.96; p = 0.04), and duration of anesthesia (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97–0.99; p = 0.03) were independent predictors of hearing outcomes. Additionally, 75% of patients with high diffusion-weighted imaging signal in the tumor (p = 0.009) and 67% of patients with the tumor originating at the modiolus of the cochlea (p = 0.004) had poor hearing outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS
The hearing preservation rates after microsurgical resection of small VSs using the middle fossa approach are high, with 78% of patients maintaining AAO-HNS class A or B hearing. Poor hearing status at baseline, longer duration of anesthesia, and large overlap between the fundus of the internal auditory canal and the cochlea were independently associated with unfavorable hearing outcomes. Imaging characteristics can be used to stratify patients’ risk of hearing loss.
Othman Bin-Alamer, Arka N. Mallela, Paolo Palmisciano, Zachary C. Gersey, Turki Elarjani, Mohamed A. Labib, Georgios A. Zenonos, Amir R. Dehdashti, Jason P. Sheehan, William T. Couldwell, L. Dade Lunsford, and Hussam Abou-Al-Shaar
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this retrospective study was to compare the survival of patients with biopsy-proven skull base chordoma who had undergone stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) with versus without prior fractionated radiation therapy (RT).
METHODS
Relevant articles from database inception to September 2021 were retrieved from the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases for a systematic review of treatment protocols. Studies were included if they 1) involved adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) with histologically and radiologically confirmed chordomas located within the clival skull base region and treated with SRS; 2) reported data on clinical features, SRS protocols, and outcomes; and 3) were written in the English language. Studies were excluded if they 1) were literature reviews, case reports, technical notes, abstracts, or autopsy reports; 2) did not clearly differentiate the data of patients with chordomas from the data of patients with different tumors or the data of patients with chordomas in locations other than the skull base; or 3) lacked histological confirmation or treatment and outcome data. Extracted data included the following: study author and publication year, patient age and sex, symptoms, cranial nerve involvement, invaded structures, lesion size, treatment modality, surgical details, histopathological type, RT modality, SRS parameters, complications, postradiosurgery outcomes, complications, and survival outcomes.
RESULTS
After the selection process, 15 articles describing 130 patients met the study eligibility criteria, including 94 patients who had undergone postresection SRS (NoRT group) and 36 who had undergone postresection fractionated RT and subsequent SRS (RT group). The NoRT and RT groups were comparable in age (51.3 vs 47.4 years, respectively), sex (57.1% vs 58.3% male), tumor volume (9.5 vs 11.2 cm3), SRS treatment parameters (maximum dose: 35.4 vs 42.2 Gy, marginal dose: 19.6 vs 20.6 Gy, treatment isodose line: 60.2% vs 65.2%), and SRS adverse effects (10.9% vs 17.6%). For the entire cohort, the 3-, 5-, and 10-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 23%, 9%, and 3%, respectively, and the overall survival (OS) rates were 94%, 82%, and 76%, respectively. In the NoRT group, SRS was adjuvant treatment after resection in 38 patients (40.4%), salvage treatment for recurrent tumor treated with resection alone in 10 (10.6%), and not specified in 46 (48.9%). In the RT group, SRS was boost treatment in 9 patients (25.0%), salvage treatment after recurrence in 22 (61.1%), and not specified in 5 (13.9%). There was no difference between the two groups in terms of median PFS (24.0 months [Q1 34.0, Q3 15.0] vs 23.8 months [34.0, 18.0], respectively; p = 0.8) or median OS (293.0 months [not reached, 137.4] vs not reached [not reached, 48.0], respectively; p = 0.36). The adverse radiation effect rates were comparable between the groups (10.9% vs 17.6%, respectively; p = 0.4).
CONCLUSIONS
The role of SRS in the management of skull base chordomas is still evolving. This systematic literature review of biopsy-proven chordoma revealed that tumor control and survival rates for SRS alone after chordoma surgery were not inferior to those encountered after SRS plus fractionated RT.
