Background: Preoperative feeding arteries and tumor embolization for meningiomas is considered
an effective preoperative treatment for meningiomas because it shortens the operative
time by decreasing blood loss and softening the tumor. For skull base meningiomas,
tumor feeding arteries from the internal carotid artery are located deep in the surgical
field and must be treated after tumor decompression, making preoperative embolization
with endovascular treatment useful. On the other hand, perioperative complications
from preoperative embolization are known, and its usefulness and safety are controversial.
Methods: Skull base meningiomas supplied with blood flow by the inferior lateral trunk (ILT)
or meningohypophyseal trunk (MHT), a branch of the internal carotid artery (ICA),
were searched in Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital. The timing
of preoperative embolization, embolization material, and perioperative complications
were retrospectively investigated.
Results: A total of eight patients underwent preoperative embolization, which was planned
approximately within 1 week before craniotomy. Assist balloon catheters were used
in all patients to block the internal carotid artery during microcatheter insertion
and embolic material injection. The embolization material was mainly n-Butyl cyanoacrylates
(NBCA) with coils in each case. 13% NBCA concentration was used. Headache was observed
as most common complaint, but improved with time and steroid use. In patients who
developed cavernous sinus syndrome after preoperative embolization, craniotomy was
temporarily postponed. In both cases, the symptoms were transient, and craniotomy
was performed after steroid use was confirmed to have relieved the symptoms.
Discussion and Conclusion: The use of assisted balloon catheters was useful for cannulation of microcatheters
into the ILT or MHT and for blocking the internal carotid artery during embolic material
injection. Perioperative complications were mainly headache and cavernous sinus syndrome,
both of which improved with steroid use and time course. During actual craniotomy,
tumor softening associated with tumor necrosis facilitated surgical manipulation,
suggesting the usefulness of preoperative feeding arteries embolization and tumor
embolization.