Objective: Spheno-orbital meningiomas (SOM) are skull base tumors associated with hyperostosis of the sphenoid bone and intraorbital invasion that can lead to compromise of cranial nerves and the orbital contents. The main treatment modality for symptomatic patients is surgical resection with orbital decompression and optic canal decompression when needed to mitigate associated symptoms.Our objective with this article is to learn more regarding the outcomes of these patients.
Methods: Twenty-four patients with SOM underwent surgical resection over a twelve-year period at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Post-surgical outcomes, deficits, and recurrence rates were evaluated.
Results: The most common immediate post-operative complications were seizure (12.5%) followed by pseudo-meningocele (8.3%). There were 0 reported cases of CSF leak/hydrocephalus. Proptosis was the main presenting deficit that improved after surgery (45.8%), followed by diplopia (18.5%) and visual field defects (16.7%). Concerning transient complications, visual deficits were most common (54.2%) followed by cognitive deficits (16.7%) and sensory deficits (4.2%). Recurrence was noted in 33% of patients during follow up.
Conclusion: The main postoperative complications associated with SOM resection were diplopia, CN V hypesthesia, and worsened visual deficits. Rarer deficits that have not been previously reported in the literature include sensory and cognitive deficits. However, surgery also leads to improvement in proptosis, diplopia, and visual field deficits.