Surgical treatment of meningiomas involving the cavernous sinus: evolving ideas based on a ten year experience.

The outcomes of 114 patients with meningiomas operated at the University of Pittsburgh were analyzed. Cerebrospinal fluid leakage was the most frequent complication, observed in 25 patients (21%). Complications were more frequent in patients who had recurrent (previously operated) tumors and patients with extensive tumors. Our current analysis also indicates that patients with prior radio-therapy (usually external beam) have unacceptably high complication rates after microsurgery. Early results indicate that regrowth rates are much higher in patients with incomplete resection (20%) than those with gross total excision (5%). Of the 114 patients, 108 returned to independent living and/or their previous occupation.