Smell Preservation following Unilateral Endoscopic Transnasal Approach to Resection of Olfactory Groove Meningioma: A Multi-institutional Experience

Gross-total resection in optic nerve sheath meningiomas: minimally invasive and cosmetic pleasing

PURPOSE

The optic nerve sheath meningioma (ONSM) is one of the most challenging tumors in orbital surgery. From the perspective of mental health and patient needs, we analyzed the necessity and importance of the endoscopic transnasal approach (ETA) combined with optic nerve transection (ONT) in gross-total resection (GTR) in ONSM patients with residual vision and aim to broaden the use of ONT for specific people.

METHODS

The authors included patients with ONSMs who were treated between 2014 and 2022. We divided those cases into two groups named ETA group and lateral orbitotomy approach (LOA) group. We present the application of ETA and analyze the preoperative indication of the ONT and compared the advantages and disadvantages between ETA and LOA. The degree of tumor resection was based on imaging and surgical evaluation.

RESULTS

A total of 23 patients with ONSM were included. Sixteen patients underwent ETA, and seven underwent LOA. Among ETA cases, GTR was achieved in 14 patients with ONT and most patients maintained normal eye movement function (75%) and morphology (93.75%). In the ETA group, 14 patients experienced vision loss, while two other patients saw improvements in vision. And proptosis was alleviated (5.20 ± 2.34 vs 0.27 ± 0.46, p < 0.0001). Six patients with blindness and proptosis of the LOA group resulted in GTR with ONT and ophthalmectomy. Although intracranial extension and recurrence included no cases in the two groups, a significant psychological gap was presented due to cosmetic problems.

CONCLUSIONS

Under the premise of reducing damage and improving aesthetics, the selection of ETA combined with ONT to gross-total resect ONSMs successfully provides a minimally invasive access with acceptable complications. As an important adjunct to GTR in the surgical treatment of ONSM, the scope of ONT application should be expanded to relieve the patient's psychological burden.

Extended Unifrontal craniotomy for midline anterior cranial fossa meningiomas: A better shot at preservation of neurovascular structures

Numerous surgical approaches have been described for the resection of anterior cranial fossa meningioma. The common problems associated with these approaches are excessive brain retraction, injury to neurovascular structures, transection of superior sagittal sinus (SSS), and a higher risk of new-onset anosmia. The authors describe a unilateral extended frontal approach with the aim to minimize brain handling without the need for SSS transection and possibly better olfaction preservation.

METHODS

Thirteen patients with anterior cranial fossa meningioma were operated on using the novel technique of unilateral extended frontal skull base approach. The clinical presentation, radiological studies, intraoperative findings, and outcome at follow-up were recorded.

RESULTS

Gross total tumor resection could be achieved in 12 out of 13 patients. At least one of the olfactory tracts could be anatomically preserved in all patients, and superior sagittal sinus was preserved in all patients. Functional olfaction preservation was achieved in 8 patients. No patient developed new-onset anosmia.

CONCLUSIONS

The extended unilateral frontal approach is a viable and reliable alternative for extended bifrontal technique for the resection of large midline anterior cranial fossa meningiomas with avoidance of SSS ligation, decreased brain handling with better olfaction preservation while achieving comparable tumor resection and acceptable cosmetic outcomes.

Effects of Endoscopic Sinus Surgery on Olfactory Function

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To review the effects of endoscopic sinus surgery and endonasal approaches to the skull base on olfaction.

RECENT FINDINGS

Advancements in endonasal endoscopic approaches to the sinuses and skull base allow for direct treatment of a variety of sinonasal and skull base diseases. However, these extended approaches will often require manipulation of normal anatomical structures and the olfactory neuroepithelium. Depending on the planned procedure and extent of disease, the prognosis of olfactory perception can vary significantly among patients. Endoscopic sinonasal surgical procedures may impact olfaction. Optimizing olfactory function requires proper surgical techniques, gentle handling of tissue, and perioperative care. Surgeons must discuss objectives and manage patient expectations. Routine olfactory assessment is crucial in surgical work-up and follow-up. Preserving anatomical structures while addressing the obstruction of the olfactory cleft helps to prevent decreased olfactory threshold. However, smell identification and discrimination do not always correlate with sinonasal anatomy.

Current status of sinonasal cancer survivorship care

Sinonasal cancer is a heterogeneous orphan disease of diverse histologies, each with distinct clinical, oncologic, and toxicity profiles. Because of the comparative rarity of these cancers, sinonasal cancers are treated as a grouped diagnosis despite their clinical and biological heterogeneity. Multimodality treatment with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiotherapy is the standard-of-care for advanced-stage patients but there are few surveillance or follow-up practice guidelines or formalized survivorship care pathways. A scoping literature review was conducted via PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar. A total of 112 studies were included, which were grouped along the following topics: surveillance, second primary tumors, quality of life, and symptom burden. Sinonasal cancer tends to exhibit a higher rate of local failure and occur in a delayed fashion compared to mucosal malignancies of the head and neck. Moreover, the site of failure and time-varying risk of recurrence is histology-specific. Following multimodality treatment of the skull base, patients may experience endocrine, visual, auditory, sinonasal, olfactory, and neurocognitive deficits, as well as psychosocial impairments that impact multiple physical and neuropsychological domains, resulting in diminished quality of life. Sinonasal cancer patients would benefit from tailored, histology-specific survivorship programs to address the recurrence, second primary, and functional impairments resulting from disease and treatment toxicity.

Olfaction preservation in olfactory groove meningiomas: a systematic review

Olfactory groove meningiomas (OGM) are a skull base neoplasm that represents between 8 and 13% of all intracranial meningiomas. Approach selection focuses on achieving frontal lobe decompression, gross total resection and vision preservation. Recently, there has been a focus on olfaction and considering its preservation as a quality-of-life outcome measure. An electronic search of the databases Medline, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane library databases was performed and data extracted according 2020 Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Six articles were selected for inclusion mainly based due to reporting quantitative outcomes for olfaction assessed by a smell identification test (e.g. sniffin' sticks). Objective olfaction preservation can be achieved with a variety of surgical approaches. More research which includes objective assessment of olfactory function and ideally as well QoL outcome measures is needed to further optimize the treatment pathways in OGM patients.

Anatomy and Pathology of the Skull Base: Malignant and Nonmalignant Lesions

The skull base (SB) is the osseous foundation of the cranial vault. It contains many openings that allow communication between the extracranial and intracranial structures. This communication is crucial in normal physiologic processes yet may also arrow spread of disease. This article provides a comprehensive review of SB anatomy including important landmarks and anatomic variants relevant to SB surgery. We also illustrate the diverse pathologies affecting the SB.

Unilateral Supraorbital Keyhole Craniotomy Avoiding the Frontal Sinus for Large and Giant Olfactory-Groove Meningiomas: A Case Series

OBJECTIVE

There are several different approaches to large and giant olfactory-groove meningiomas (OGMs). Each approach has advantages and disadvantages. We present our series using a unilateral supraorbital keyhole approach avoiding the frontal sinus for the resection of large and giant OGMs without the use of fixed brain retractors or orbital rim removal.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All consecutive patients operated on for large (>3 cm in largest diameter) and giant (>5 cm) OGMs by the senior author from 2016 to 2021 were prospectively identified and retrospectively reviewed. Patients who were operated on using an endoscopic endonasal approach were excluded. No fixed retraction was used.

RESULTS

In total, 14 consecutive patients (11 with large, 3 with giant) were included. All patients were female, with an average age ± standard deviation of 59.7 ± 11.5 years. The median [interquartile range] preoperative Karnofsky Performance Status score was 80 [80-88]. The median preoperative tumor diameter and volume were 3.8 [3.2-4.2] cm and 22.2 [10.5-25.2] cm3, respectively. All patients underwent gross total resection. The median hospital stay was 2.7 [2-3] days, with all patients being discharged to home. No patients incurred any postoperative medical and/or surgical complications. Of the 9 patients who had subjective smell preoperatively, 5 stated they had subjective olfaction after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrate the utility of a unilateral supraorbital keyhole approach avoiding the frontal sinus for large and giant OGMs. The potential advantages of this approach are minimizing bilateral brain manipulation, avoiding the frontal sinus and potential mucoceles, and reducing the risk of cerebrospinal fluid leaks.

The Evolution of Endoscopic Endonasal Approach for Olfactory Groove Meningiomas

BACKGROUND

There is controversy over the choice of optimal approach for olfactory groove meningiomas (OGM). The endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) is one of the most recently described corridors, which provides direct access to the tumor base.

OBJECTIVE

To detail the evolution of the endoscopic endonasal technique over the past 2 decades and demonstrate the impact of this evolution on patient outcomes.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study based on a prospectively maintained database of consecutive cases of OGM operated on at our institution via EEA. For analysis, the whole cohort has been divided into 3 equal "eras" according to the time period during which the surgery happened, creating early, middle, and contemporary groups.

RESULTS

Seventy-five patients were included, 25 in each group. The rate of postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak significantly decreased over time (28%, 32%, and 8% in the early, middle, and contemporary groups, respectively, P = .020). The rate of postoperative encephalomalacia was significantly lower in more recent groups (24%, 16%, and 0% in the early, middle, and contemporary groups, respectively, P = .029), as was the time to resolution of postoperative brain edema (103.9 months, 87.3 months, and 16.8 months in the early, middle, and contemporary groups, respectively, P = .020).

CONCLUSION

The endoscopic endonasal approach for OGM significantly evolved over time, achieving lower cerebrospinal fluid leak rates while providing a high rate of Simpson grade 1 resection. Technical improvements minimized the frontal lobe impact. Current data support EEA as a safe and effective corridor to treat OGM.

How I Do It: Endonasal transethmoidal, transcribriform approach for resection of giant olfactory groove meningioma

BACKGROUND

Olfactory groove meningiomas (OGMs) arise from the cribriform plate of the anterior fossa and account for 9-12% of all meningiomas. Giant OGMs are those larger than 6 cm and are technically challenging to resect.

METHOD

Here we present the surgical decision-making and intraoperative details regarding the endonasal endoscopic resection of an OGM using a minimally invasive, endonasal approach in a 68-year-old female patient.

CONCLUSION

Giant OGMs can be safely and effectively removed using an endonasal, transcribriform approach.

The use of an endoscopic endonasal approach for a secondary intraorbital meningioma: illustrative case

BACKGROUND

Meningiomas are the most frequent primary tumors in the central nervous system (CNS), but intraorbital location is uncommon and accounts for only 0.2% to 4% of all CNS meningiomas. Lesions in this compartment could be classified as primary, secondary, or ectopic. The close relationship with the optic nerve sheath is a landmark to identify the tumor as primary, whereas secondary tumors commonly come from an extension of an intracranial meningioma, and ectopic meningioma is a concept not yet completely established.

OBSERVATIONS

The authors present a rare case of a secondary intraorbital meningioma operated through an endoscopic endonasal approach. Secondary meningiomas at the medial orbit are very uncommon, given their more common superior and lateral location as an extension of sphenoid meningiomas. The endoscopic endonasal route provides direct access to the medial orbit. The authors present an illustrative case of a meningioma located at the medial orbit and resected through an endoscopic endonasal approach that provided excellent visualization and anatomical exposure. Additionally, the authors review the concept and possible similarities between secondary and ectopic intraorbital meningiomas.

LESSONS

An endoscopic endonasal approach should be considered as a feasible treatment option for intraorbital meningiomas, especially if they are in the medial orbital wall.

Midline Skull Base Meningiomas: Transcranial and Endonasal Perspectives

Simple Summary

Skull base meningiomas have always represented a challenge for neurosurgeons. Despite their histological nature, they may be associated with unfavorable outcomes due to their deep-seated location and the surrounding neurovascular structures. Over time, several corridors have been proposed, each one carrying its own pros and cons. During the last decades, the endoscopic endonasal route has been asserted among the classic routes for a growing number of midline and paramedian lesions. Therefore, the aim of our paper is to present a comprehensive review of the indications and techniques for the management of skull base meningiomas, emphasizing the ambivalent and complementary role of the low and high routes.

Abstract

Skull base meningiomas have always represented a challenge for neurosurgeons. Despite their histological nature, they may be associated with unfavorable outcomes due to their deep-seated location and the surrounding neurovascular structures. The state of the art of skull base meningiomas accounts for both transcranial, or high, and endonasal, or low, routes. A comprehensive review of the pertinent literature was performed to address the surgical strategies and outcomes of skull base meningioma patients treated through a transcranial approach, an endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA), or both. Three databases (PubMed, Ovid Medline, and Ovid Embase) have been searched. The review of the literature provided 328 papers reporting the surgical, oncological, and clinical results of different approaches for the treatment of skull base meningiomas. The most suitable surgical corridors for olfactory groove, tuberculum sellae, clival and petroclival and cavernous sinus meningiomas have been analyzed. The EEA was proven to be associated with a lower extent of resection rates and better clinical outcomes compared with transcranial corridors, offering the possibility of achieving the so-called maximal safe resection.

International consensus statement on allergy and rhinology: Olfaction

BACKGROUND

The literature regarding clinical olfaction, olfactory loss, and olfactory dysfunction has expanded rapidly over the past two decades, with an exponential rise in the past year. There is substantial variability in the quality of this literature and a need to consolidate and critically review the evidence. It is with that aim that we have gathered experts from around the world to produce this International Consensus on Allergy and Rhinology: Olfaction (ICAR:O).

METHODS

Using previously described methodology, specific topics were developed relating to olfaction. Each topic was assigned a literature review, evidence-based review, or evidence-based review with recommendations format as dictated by available evidence and scope within the ICAR:O document. Following iterative reviews of each topic, the ICAR:O document was integrated and reviewed by all authors for final consensus.

RESULTS

The ICAR:O document reviews nearly 100 separate topics within the realm of olfaction, including diagnosis, epidemiology, disease burden, diagnosis, testing, etiology, treatment, and associated pathologies.

CONCLUSION

This critical review of the existing clinical olfaction literature provides much needed insight and clarity into the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with olfactory dysfunction, while also clearly delineating gaps in our knowledge and evidence base that we should investigate further.

The Transorbital Pericranial Flap

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the present study was to describe and evaluate the feasibility, mobility, and surface area provided by the simple and extended transorbital pericranial flap (TOPF). Furthermore, we compared this novel technique with the current practice of pericranial flap harvesting and insetting techniques. We also studied the adequacy of the TOPF in the reconstruction of postoperative anterior cranial fossa (ACF) defects.

METHODS

The TOPF was performed bilaterally in 5 alcohol-preserved, latex-injected human cadaveric specimens. The TOPF was harvested in 2 stages: the orbitonasal stage and the cranial stage. For the orbitonasal stage, a transorbital superior eyelid approach was used. We have described 2 harvesting techniques for creating 2 distinct TOPF types (simple and extended) according to the main vascular pedicle. The superficial flap areas offered by the simple and extended TOPF and the traditional bicoronal pericranial flap were calculated and compared. The distances from the supratrochlear and supraorbital arteries to specified anatomical landmarks were also measured. Additionally, the ACF defect area of relevant surgical cases performed using endoscopic transcribriform approaches were measured on immediate postoperative computed tomography head scans using radiological imaging software.

RESULTS

The harvest of both the simple and the extended TOPFs was efficient. As expected, the areas offered by simple and extended TOPFs were smaller than that offered by the traditional bicoronal flap. However, the surface area offered by either the simple or extended TOPF provides sufficient coverage for most ACF defects. A high spatial distribution was observed between the vascular pedicles and their respective foramen or notch.

CONCLUSIONS

The TOPF represents a novel harvesting, tunneling, and insetting technique that offers a large, versatile, pedicled flap for coverage of most standard ACF defects after endoscopic surgery.