Project description:PurposeThe study assesses whether pre- and intraoperative factors linked to electromyography and direct electrical stimulation (DES) of facial nerve can predict facial nerve function in the short- (12 days) and long-term (1 year) after cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumor resection.Methods157 patients who underwent surgical resection of CPA tumors with facial nerve monitoring. Pre-operative factors (age, tumor size, pure tone average), surgical time and intra-operative parameters regarding facial function, minimum stimulation threshold (MST), compound muscle action potential (CMAP) and the difference between proximal and distal CMAP (DPDC) were evaluated.ResultsA correlation between tumor size, MST, CMAP and facial function in both short and long term was found. A higher grade of immediate facial paralysis corresponded to a higher risk of poor outcome after one year. A postoperative House-Brackmann (HB) score of V or VI was correlated with poor outcome in 88.8% and 93.8% of cases. A risk of HB 3 or more, in the long term, was correlated with a tumor size of 20.2 mm. Using an MST of 0.1 mA, for long-term predictions, sensitivity and specificity were 0.62 (95% CI 0.46-0.75) and 0.73 (95% CI 0.61-0.82), respectively. With a CMAP cut-off < 200 µV, for long-term prediction, sensitivity was 0.73 (95% CI 0.53-0.87) and specificity 0.73 (95% CI 0.55-0.85).ConclusionThe assessment based on the cut-offs described increases the ability to predict facial function. Improving predictive accuracy enables surgeons to address patients' expectations and to establish an intervention timeline for planning facial reanimation.
Project description:Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor arising in the cerebellum or the 4th ventricle. Cerebellopontine angle (CPA) MBs are extremely rare tumors, with few cases previously described. In this study, we sought to describe the clinical characteristics, molecular features and outcomes of CPA MB. We retrospectively reviewed a total of 968 patients who had a histopathological diagnosis of MB at the Beijing Neurosurgical Institute between 2002 and 2016. The demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations and radiological features were retrospectively analyzed. Molecular subgroup was evaluated by the expression profiling array or immunohistochemistry. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. In this study, 15 patients (12 adults and 3 children) with a mean age at diagnosis of 25.1 years (range 4-45 years) were included. CPA MBs represented 1.5% of the total cases of MB (15/968). Two molecular subgroups were identified in CPA MBs: 5 WNT-MBs (33%) and 10 SHH-MBs (67%). CPA WNT-MBs had the extracerebellar growth with the involvement of brainstem (P = 0.002), whereas CPA SHH-MBs predominantly located within the cerebellar hemispheres (P = 0.004). The 5-year OS and PFS rates for CPA MB were 80.0% ± 10.3% and 66.7% ± 12.2%, respectively. Pediatric patients with CPA MBs had worse outcomes than adult patients (OS: P = 0.019, PFS: P = 0.078). In conclusion, CPA MB is extremely rare and consists of two subgroups. Adult patients with CPA MB had a good prognosis. Maximum safe surgical resection combined with adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy can be an effective treatment strategy for this rare tumor.
Project description:BackgroundA comprehensive understanding of the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors associated with axial chondroblastoma (ACB) is still lacking. This study aimed to understand the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of axial chondroblastoma (ACB) and compare them with extra-axial chondroblastoma (EACB).MethodsA retrospective review of our institution's local database was conducted, encompassing a total of 132 CB patients, of which 61 were diagnosed with ACB and 71 with EACB. Immunohistochemistry was employed to evaluate the expression levels of vimentin, S100, and cytokeratin.ResultsACB and EACB shared similar characteristics, with the exception of advanced age, tumor size, elevated Vim expression, incidence of surrounding tissue invasion, and postoperative sensory or motor dysfunction. While wide resection and absence of surrounding tissue invasion consistently showed a favorable association with survival in both ACB and EACB cohorts during univariate analysis, most parameters exhibited differential prognostic significance between the two groups. Notably, the significant prognostic factors for local recurrence-free survival in the ACB cohort included the type of resection and the presence of chicken-wire calcification. In the multivariate analysis of overall survival, the type of resection emerged as a significant predictor in the ACB cohort, whereas in the EACB group, the type of resection and the occurrence of postoperative sensory or motor dysfunction were predictive of overall survival.ConclusionThere may exist distinct biological behaviors between ACB and EACB, thereby providing valuable insights into the prognostic characteristics of ACB patients and contributing to enhanced outcome prediction in this particular patient population.
Project description:Background and purposeTumors involving the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) pose a diagnostic challenge due to their diverse manifestations. Head impulse tests (HITs) have been used to evaluate vestibular function, but few studies have explored the head impulse gain of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) in patients with a vestibular schwannoma. This study tested whether the head impulse gain of the VOR is an indicator of the size of a unilateral CPA tumor.MethodsTwenty-eight patients (21 women; age=64±12 years, mean±SD) with a unilateral CPA tumor underwent a recording of the HITs using a magnetic search coil technique. Patients were classified into non-compressing (T1-T3) and compressing (T4) groups according to the Hannover classification.ResultsMost (23/28, 82%) of the patients showed abnormal HITs for the semicircular canals on the lesion side. The bilateral abnormality in HITs was more common in the compressing group than the non-compressing group (80% vs. 8%, Pearson's chi-square test: p<0.001). The tumor size was inversely correlated with the head impulse gain of the VOR in either direction.ConclusionsBilaterally abnormal HITs indicate that a patient has a large unilateral CPA tumor. The abnormal HITs in the contralesional direction may be explained either by adaptation or by compression and resultant dysfunction of the cerebellar and brainstem structures. The serial evaluation of HITs may provide information on tumor growth, and thereby reduce the number of costly brain scans required when following up patients with CPA tumors.
Project description:The analysis of the treatment results in patients with cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumors, manifested as trigeminal neuralgia (TN). During the 10-year period from 1998 to 2008, 14 patients with verified CPA tumors that had the typical manifestations of TN were operated on at our hospital (5.8% from all patients with TN who underwent surgery). In nine cases the epidermoid was identified; three patients had meningioma, one patient had acoustic neurinoma, and one patient had lipoma. The follow-up of all patients lasted at least 12 months. The intraoperative assessment identified the three variants of relationship between the tumors and neurovascular structures: (1) tumor grows around the trigeminal nerve; (2) the tumor causes compression and displacement of the trigeminal nerve; and (3) tumor presses the arterial vessel to the trigeminal nerve by moving the vessel or nerve. For six patients, with removal of tumor a microvascular decompression of the trigeminal nerve was performed. Complete pain relief was achieved in 12 patients (86%). TN is an expectative symptom of CPA tumors. The most frequent cause of secondary TN of CPA tumors is epidermoid. All patients with manifestations of TN should undergo the magnetic resonance imaging for early diagnosis of CPA tumor.
Project description:Glioblastomas presenting topographically at the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) are exceedingly rare. Given the specific anatomical considerations and their rarity, overall survival (OS) and management are not discussed in detail. The authors performed an integrative survival analysis of CPA glioblastomas. A literature search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases was performed per PRISMA guidelines. Patient data including demographics, clinical features, neuroimaging, management, follow-up, and OS were extracted. The mean age was 39 ± 26.2 years. The mean OS was 8.9 months. Kaplan-Meier log-rank test and univariate Cox proportional-hazards model identified hydrocephalus (log-rank, p = 0.034; HR 0.34; 95% CI 0.12-0.94; p = 0.038), chemotherapy (log-rank, p < 0.005; HR 5.66; 95% CI 1.53-20.88; p = 0.009), and radiotherapy (log-rank, p < 0.0001; HR 12.01; 95% CI 3.44-41.89; p < 0.001) as factors influencing OS. Hydrocephalus (HR 3.57; 95% CI 1.07-11.1; p = 0.038) and no adjuvant radiotherapy (HR 0.12; 95% CI 0.02-0.59; p < 0.01) remained prognostic on multivariable analysis with fourfold and twofold higher risk for the time-related onset of death, respectively. This should be considered when assessing the risk-to-benefit ratio for patients undergoing surgery for CPA glioblastoma.
Project description:Choroid plexus papillomas (CPPs) are primary neuroectodermal neoplasms that usually arise in the fourth ventricle in adults. In this study, we present 12 patients with CPP arising from the cerebellopontine angle (CPP-CPA) and/or of the cerebellomedullary angle (CPP-CMA) that were treated in our department. Patients who underwent surgery for the treatment for CPP-CPA/CMA from January 2004 to March 2020 were identified by a computer search of their files from the Department of Neurosurgery, Tübingen. CPPs were classified according to their location into type 1 (tumor portion only in the CPA,), type 2 (tumor portions only in the CMA), and type 3 (tumor portions both in the CPA and CMA). Patients were evaluated for initial symptoms, previous therapies in other hospitals, extent of tumor resection, recurrence rate, and complications by reviewing patient documents. Of approximately 1500 CPA lesions, which were surgically treated in our department in the last 16 years, 12 patients (mean age 42 ± 19 years) were found to have CPP-CPA/CMA. Five were male, and seven were female patients. Gross total resection was achieved in nine cases, and a subtotal resection was attained in three cases. Tumor recurrence in the same location after the first surgery in our hospital was observed in 2 patients after 15 and 40 months of follow-up, and in another patient, distant metastases (C3/4 and L3 levels) were observed. Surgical removal of CPP is the treatment of choice, but additional therapeutic options may be necessary in case of remnant tumor portions, recurrence, or malignant transformation.
Project description:PurposeTo develop a diagnostic model to identify patients at high risk of a CPA lesion.MethodsA consecutive cohort of patients with AAD referred by a general practitioner, who underwent their first MRI examination of the CPA between 2005 and 2015 was included. Demographics, symptoms, findings during physical examination, and pure-tone audiometry were used as potential predictors. The presence of a CPA lesion was used as outcome.ResultsWe analyzed data of 2,214 patients, detecting 73 CPA lesions in 69 (3.1%) patients. The final model contained eleven variables, namely gender [male] [OR 1.055 (95% CI 0.885-1.905)], sudden onset of hearing loss [OR 0.768 (95% CI 0.318-0.992)], gradual onset of hearing loss [OR 1.069 (95% CI 0.500-1.450)], unilateral tinnitus [OR 0.682 (95% CI 0.374-0.999)], complaints of unilateral aural fullness [OR 1.006 (95% CI 0.783-2.155)], instability [OR 1.006 (95% CI 0.580-2.121)], headache [OR 0.959 (95% CI 0.059-1.090)], facial numbness [OR 2.746 (95% CI 0.548-11.085)], facial nerve dysfunction during physical examination [OR 1.024 (95% CI 0.280-3.702)], and asymmetry in BC at 1 kHz [OR 1.013 (95% CI 1.000-1.027)] and 4 kHz [OR 1.008 (95% CI 1.000-1.026)].ConclusionThe proposed diagnostic model is a first step in selecting patients with a high risk of a CPA lesion among those with AAD. It needs to be externally validated prior to its implementation in clinical practice.
Project description:With the increasing use of next generation sequencing in soft tissue pathology, particularly in neoplasms not fitting any World Health Organization (WHO) category, the spectrum of EWSR1 fusion-associated soft tissue neoplasms has been expanding significantly. Although recurrent EWSR1::ATF1 fusions were initially limited to a triad of mesenchymal neoplasms including clear cell sarcoma of soft tissue, angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma and malignant gastrointestinal neuroectodermal tumor (MGNET), this family has been expanding. We herein describe 4 unclassified extra-abdominal soft tissue (n = 3) and bone (n = 1) neoplasms displaying epithelioid and round cell morphology and carrying an EWSR1::ATF1 fusion. Affected were 3 males and 1 female aged 20-56 years. All primary tumors were extra-abdominal and deep-seated (chest wall, mediastinum, deltoid, and parapharyngeal soft tissue). Their size ranged 4.4-7.5 cm (median, 6.2). One patient presented with constitutional symptoms. Surgery with (2) or without (1) neo/adjuvant therapy was the treatment. At last follow-up (8-21 months), 2 patients developed progressive disease (1 recurrence; 1 distant metastasis). The immunophenotype of these tumors is potentially misleading with variable expression of EMA (2 of 3), pankeratin (2 of 4), synaptophysin (2 of 3), MUC4 (1 of 3), and ALK (1 of 3). All tumors were negative for S100 and SOX10. These observations point to the existence of heretofore under-recognized group of epithelioid and round cell neoplasms of soft tissue and bone, driven by EWSR1::ATF1 fusions, but distinct from established EWSR1::ATF1-associated soft tissue entities. Their overall morphology and immunophenotype recapitulate that of the emerging EWSR1/FUS::CREB fusion associated intra-abdominal epithelioid/round cell neoplasms. Our cases point to a potentially aggressive clinical behavior. Recognizing this tumor type is mandatory to delineate any inherent biological and/or therapeutic distinctness from other, better-known sarcomas in the differential diagnosis including sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma.