Outcomes after stereotactic radiosurgery for schwannomas of the oculomotor, trochlear, and abducens nerves

Chronic Encapsulated Expanding Hematomas After Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations: An International Multicenter Case Series

BACKGROUND

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) offers a minimally invasive treatment modality for appropriately selected intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Recent reports have described the development of rare, delayed chronic encapsulated expanding hematomas (CEEHs) at the site of an angiographically confirmed obliterated AVM.

OBJECTIVE

To elucidate the incidence, characteristics, and management of CEEH in patients with AVM after SRS.

METHODS

The records of all patients who underwent SRS for an intracranial AVM at 4 institutions participating in the International Radiosurgery Research Foundation between 1987 and 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Data regarding characteristics of the AVM, SRS treatment parameters, CEEH presentation, management, and outcomes were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

Among 5430 patients, 15 developed a CEEH at a crude incidence of 0.28%. Nine patients were female, and the mean age was 43 ± 14.6 years. Nine patients underwent surgical evacuation, while 6 were managed conservatively. The median CEEH development latency was 106 months after SRS. The patients were followed for a median of 32 months, and 9 patients improved clinically, while 6 patients remained stable. No intraoperative complications were reported after CEEH resection, although 1 patient recovered from postoperative meningitis requiring intravenous antibiotics.

CONCLUSION

CEEH is a rare, late complication of AVM SRS with an incidence of 0.28% and a median latency of 106 months. In the presence of a delayed and symptomatic expanding hematoma in the bed of an angiographically obliterated AVM, surgical resection resulted in clinical improvement in most patients. Conservative management is possible in asymptomatic patients with stable, small-sized hematomas in deeply seated locations.

Management of non-vestibular schwannomas in adult patients: a systematic review and consensus statement on behalf of the EANS skull base section. Part I: oculomotor and other rare non-vestibular schwannomas (I, II, III, IV, VI)

BACKGROUND

Non-vestibular schwannomas are relatively rare, with trigeminal and jugular foramen schwannomas being the most common. This is a heterogeneous group which requires detailed investigation and careful consideration to management strategy. The optimal management for these tumours remains unclear, and there are several controversies. The aim of this paper is to provide insight into the main principles defining management and surgical strategy, in order to formulate a series of recommendations.

METHODS

A task force was created by the EANS skull base section along with its members and other renowned experts in the field to generate recommendations for the surgical management of these tumours on a European perspective. To achieve this, the task force performed an extensive systematic review in this field and had discussions within the group. This article is the first of a three-part series describing non-vestibular schwannomas (I, II, III, IV, VI).

RESULTS

A summary of literature evidence was proposed after discussion within the EANS skull base section. The constituted task force dealt with the practice patterns that exist with respect to pre-operative radiological investigations, ophthalmological assessments, optimal surgical and radiotherapy strategies and follow-up management.

CONCLUSION

This article represents the consensually derived opinion of the task force with respect to the treatment of non-vestibular schwannomas. For each of these tumours, the management of these patients is complex, and for those which are symptomatic tumours, the paradigm is shifting towards the compromise between function preservation and progression-free survival.

Oculomotor nerve schwannoma: case series and literature review

Oculomotor nerve schwannomas are rare benign cranial nerve tumors. There are only a limited number of reports on this pathology in the literature, and there are currently no established management guidelines that aid providers in deciding on surgical versus nonsurgical management. We assess the published literature on the topic to identify indications for treatment as well as outcome measures (e.g., local control rates, survival rates, and complication rates) that have been reported as associated with the various treatment modalities. We attempt to develop an algorithm for evaluation and treatment of oculomotor nerve schwannomas in order to establish consensus on how these tumors should be treated.