Microsurgical resection of meningiomas arising from the floor of anterior cranial fossa

Introduction: The authors report 16 cases of meningioma of the floor of anterior cranial fossa treated microsurgically over the last 8 years. Methods: There were 12 women and 4 men between the ages of 43 and 66 (mean age, 56). Mean duration of clinical history was 30 months. Sphenoid wing was the most frequent location (12 cases), followed by olfactory groove and planum sphenoidale. Headache, seizure, and blurred vision were the main complaints. Decrease in visual acuity was present in 56% of cases. Surgical approaches used were frontotemporal in 10 cases, bifrontal in 3 cases, pterional in 2 cases, and pterional with transzygomatic orbital osteotomy in 1 case. Results: Complete removal was performed in 13 cases (81%); in the remaining 3 (19%), partial removal was performed because of arterial and cranial nerve encasement. There was no mortality. In the postoperative period, new cranial nerve deficit was developed in 2 patients. Although there was no tumor recurrence, seizure was the main symptom during follow-up periods. Conclusion: Our experience suggests that the meningiomas of the anterior cranial fossa floor can be removed completely without mortality and acceptable morbidity.