Surgical or Endovascular Treatment of MCA Aneurysms: An Agreement Study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

MCA aneurysms are still commonly clipped surgically despite the recent development of a number of endovascular tools and techniques. We measured clinical uncertainty by studying the reliability of decisions made for patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A portfolio of 60 MCA aneurysms was presented to surgical and endovascular specialists who were asked whether they considered surgery or endovascular treatment to be an option, whether they would consider recruitment of the patient in a randomized trial, and whether they would provide their final management recommendation. Agreement was studied using κ statistics. Intrarater reliability was assessed with the same, permuted portfolio of cases of MCA aneurysm sent to the same specialists 1 month later.

RESULTS

Surgical management was the preferred option for neurosurgeons (n = 844/1320; [64%] responses/22 raters), while endovascular treatment was more commonly chosen by interventional neuroradiologists (1149/1500 [76.6%] responses/25 raters). Interrater agreement was only "slight" for all cases and all judges (κ = 0.094; 95% CI, 0.068-0.130). Agreement was no better within specialties or with more experience. On delayed requestioning, 11 of 35 raters (31%) disagreed with themselves on at least 20% of cases. Surgical management and endovascular treatment were always judged to be a treatment option, for all patients. Trial participation was offered to patients 65% of the time.

CONCLUSIONS

Individual clinicians did not agree regarding the best management of patients with MCA aneurysms. A randomized trial comparing endovascular with surgical management of patients with MCA aneurysms is in order.

Endoscopic management of Atypical sellar cavernous hemangioma: A case report and review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

supratentorial cavernous hemangiomas, particularly those found in the sellar region, are extremely rare. We present a case of sellar cavernous hemangioma with radiological characteristics that have never been reported. Due to the difficulty diagnosing these lesions, misdiagnosis might occur. Thus, briefing surgeons about the clinico-radiological features of such rare lesions is crucial for better understanding the enigmatic features of such rare lesions and to develop early management approaches that could result in better surgical excision with a lower tendency for complications.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

A 43-year-old male presented with headache, blurred vision, and impotence for the last 2 years. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed an atypical sellar mass displaying signals of heterogeneous intensity on T1- and T2-weighted imaging. The mass exhibited heterogeneous enhancement after gadolinium injection. Endoscopic endonasal surgery was subsequently performed, during which an uneventful subtotal resection of the mass was achieved. Histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of intrasellar cavernous hemangioma.

DISCUSSION

Many questions regarding how best to manage such lesions remain unanswered. Hence, we summarize the relevant surgical techniques and discuss misconceptions.

CONCLUSION

Seller cavernous hemangioma (SCH) is an extremely rare lesion that can be misdiagnosed. It is characterized by clinico-radiological features similar to those of other lesions such as pituitary macroadenoma and should be included in the differential diagnosis. The endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal (EET) approach with subtotal/total resection appears to be a feasible option for debulking, with less surgical complications. Nonetheless, combining stereotactic radiosurgery will reduce postsurgical morbidities.