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Objectives Midline suprasellar meningiomas include planum sphenoidale, tuberculum sellae, and diaphragma sellae meningiomas. Multiple classifications have been previously documented; however, they come with controversies and limitations, including those with surgical implications. The aim of this study was to classify suprasellar meningiomas based on their behavior toward the underlying bone and neurovascular structures. Methods Patients with newly diagnosed suprasellar meningiomas that underwent extended endoscopic transnasal approach between 2015 and 2021 were included in this study. The following parameters were evaluated: chiasmatic sulcus length, location of the optic chiasm and nerves, optic canal involvement, and vascular displacement. Results We identified 40 cases of midline suprasellar meningiomas, 1 diaphragma sellae meningioma (type A), 10 tuberculum sellae meningiomas (type B), 9 chiasmatic sulcus meningiomas (type C), and 10 planum sphenoidale meningiomas (type D). Asymmetrical visual complaints were most common in chiasmatic sulcus meningiomas, followed by tuberculum sellae meningiomas (66 and 50%, respectively). Chiasmatic sulcus meningiomas showed increased separation between the optic chiasm and the A1/A2 complex (8.9 mm) compared with tuberculum sellae (2.7 mm) and planum sphenoidale (1.9 mm) meningiomas. Compared with other types, increased chiasmatic sulcus length was observed in chiasmatic sulcus meningiomas. Conclusions Preoperative evaluation of bone involvement and tumor relation to neurovascular structures can be used to classify suprasellar meningiomas. Chiasmatic sulcus meningioma is a distinct subtype of suprasellar meningiomas. Its unique behavior toward nearby neurovascular structures could be of surgical value during tumor resection.

The accelerated growth of endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery has led to an abundance of highly cited works that have helped shape the field into its current state. Highlighting these works can serve as a guide for trainees and facilitate evidence-based clinical decision making and operative techniques.Elsevier's Scopus database was used to generate a list of the 100 most cited articles on endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery in September 2022. Results were categorized based on pathology, approach, study design, and study objective. A citation per year analysis was conducted to highlight later publications that may not have had the time to accumulate as many citations as older publications.The average number of citations for the 100 most cited articles was 210 per article (range 104-1285). Publication dates ranged from 1997 to 2019, with the highest number of articles among the 100 most cited being published in 2008 (15 articles). The journal with the greatest number of publications was Neurosurgery (30 articles). Of the 100 most cited articles, 77 were published between 2000 and 2010. Moreover, 40 of the 100 articles reported surgical outcomes and related complications, and the most common pathology was pituitary adenoma (25 articles).This article provides a list of highly influential articles in the field of endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery, highlighting its rapid evolution over the last 3 decades and demonstrating its leap from small descriptive series confined to certain pathologies to larger cohorts exploring possible boundaries and other pathologies.

Objectives Preoperative planning of endoscopic skull base surgery (ESBS) is essential. The safety of performing surgery before managing sinus pathologies including concurrent chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) in patients undergoing ESBS has been questioned. The current study aimed to evaluate and compare the complication rates between patients with and without CRS undergoing ESBS. Design This is a retrospective study. Setting Present study was conducted at tertiary referral center. Participants We included all patients who underwent ESBS between March 2015 and March 2021. However, patients who had surgical revision for remnant tumor, primary sinonasal tumor excision, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage repair were excluded. The presence of concurrent CRS was determined according to the European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps 2020 (EPOS 2020) criteria by reviewing electronic charts about the preoperative clinical assessment and CT scan images of the paranasal sinuses. Then, the incidence rates of postoperative meningitis, CSF leakage, and surgical site infection were compared between patients with and without concurrent CRS undergoing ESBS. Main Outcome Measures Postoperative complication rates in patients underwent ESBS with and without CRS. Results From a total of 130 ESBS cases, 99 patients were included in this study. Among them, 24 had concurrent CRS. One patient presented with postoperative meningitis, one with CSF leakage, and two with surgical site infections. The incidence rate of postoperative meningitis, CSF leakage, and surgical site infection did not significantly differ between patients with and without concurrent CRS. Conclusion Concurrent CRS is not a contraindication for ESBS. Moreover, simultaneous endoscopic sinus surgery can safely be performed without additional morbidity in ESBS.

OBJECTIVE: Quantitative documentation of the effects of outbreaks, including the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, is limited in neurosurgery. Our study aimed to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on neurosurgical practice and to determine whether surgical procedures are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. METHODS: A multicenter case-control study was conducted, involving patients who underwent neurosurgical intervention in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during 2 periods: pre-COVID-19 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The surgical intervention data evaluated included diagnostic category, case priority, complications, length of hospital stay, and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: A total of 850 procedures were included, 36% during COVID-19. The median number of procedures per day was significantly lower during the COVID-19 period (5.5 cases) than during the pre-COVID-19 period (12 cases; P < 0.0001). Complications, length of hospital stay, and 30-day mortality did not differ during the pandemic. In a multivariate analysis comparing both periods, case priority levels 1 (immediate) (odds ratio [OR], 1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-2.67), 1 (1-24 h) (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.10-2.41), and 4 (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.19-0.42) showed significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: During the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall number of neurosurgical procedures declined, but the load of emergency procedures remained the same, thus highlighting the need to allocate sufficient resources for emergencies. More importantly, performing neurosurgical procedures during the pandemic in regions with limited effects of the outbreak on the health care system was safe. Our findings may aid in developing guidelines for acute and long-term care during pandemics in surgical subspecialties.

Background: Primary jugular fossa meningiomas are one of the rarest subgroups of meningioma, with an estimated incidence of 0.7–4.3% of all skull base meningiomas. Indeed, only 145 cases of jugular foramen meningiomas have been reported in the literature to date. While meningiomas of this region are typically referred to as “jugular foramen meningiomas,” we make a distinction between meningiomas arising directly from the foramen itself, and those arising from the jugular tubercle. Jugular tubercle meningiomas, therefore, represent an even smaller subset of an already uncommon location for meningiomas. The jugular tubercle is the upper surface of the lateral parts of occipital bone presents an oval eminence, which overlies the hypoglossal canal and is sometimes crossed by an oblique groove for the glossopharyngeal, vagus, and accessory nerves. Only eight cases in the anterior foramen magnum lesions excised by a far lateral retrosigmoid approach have been described. The aim of this video article is to describe the surgical approach the senior author used to access lesion involving the jugular tubercle. Case Description: In this surgical video, we present a case of a 56-year-old female presented to our hospital with dizziness, headache, lower cranial nerves deficits, and lower limbs weakness. On exam, she was noted to have a left paraparesis, 9th, 10th, and 11th nerves palsies. An MRI scan demonstrated a mass in the region of the left jugular tubercle. Frozen section was suggestive of meningioma and our patient underwent a successful near total resection with no permanent neurologic sequelae. Conclusion: Jugular tubercle meningiomas are one of the rarest subgroups of meningioma. The described modified retrosigmoid approach provides outstanding access to the entire ventrolateral brainstem and cerebellopontine angle, with reduced approach related morbidity.

Human skin cautery, a traditional thermal therapy, is traced back to Hippocrates beyond the 5th century. Those ancient healers used this method to control bleeding and infection and remove cancerous tumors. Such traditional procedure is still in practice in several regions of Asia and Africa to treat certain conditions. There is a lack of reports in the literature regarding the long-term complication and the possible tumorigenesis following traditional treatment with thermal cauterization. Here, we report two patients with intracranial meningiomas and investigate the gene expression profile for a patient. Cases presentations: We report two adult patients who presented with a headache and hemiparesis over six months. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of both patients revealed intracranial meningiomas. During preoperative preparation of the patients, cautery marks were noticed over the scalp region above the intracranial tumors site, which was performed during childhood. The patients underwent uneventful resection of meningiomas with no local recurrence over a 5-year follow up. In addition, we performed a biofunctional genetic microarray expression analysis on the affected meningioma.There is a lack of evidence-based scientific reports in the literature regarding the long-term complications and tumorigenesis following aggressive treatment with thermal cauterization. Herein, we report the first possible association between previous scalp traditional cautery and the development meningioma in two patients and discuss a proposed causal relationship. However, further advanced studies and research should be done to support, or reject, our hypothesis.

Background Arteriovenous malformation of the scalp (sAVM) is a rare pathology that accounts for 8% of all cranial arteriovenous malformations. It is believed to be congenital; however, few reported were secondary to trauma. They are managed either via surgical resection, endovascular embolization, or combined approach. Cases with bilateral dual extracranial feeders are yet significantly scarce incidents among this rare pathology. We report a case of sAVM with dual bilateral feeders and review the literature. Case presentation We report a case of a 24-year-old male who presented with a spontaneous para-midline enlarging mass over five years associated with headache. Imaging, including angiography, showed a subcutaneous vascular lesion measuring 2.4x4.2 cm supplied by bilateral superficial temporal arteries and occipital arteries. The patient underwent endovascular subtotal embolization with subsequent surgical excision with excellent recovery. Conclusion The rare occurrence of sAVMs requires a high index of suspicion and angiographic images to assess blood supply for preoperative embolization. A combined management approach is associated with good outcome and decrease the risk of recurrence.

Highlights • All neurosurgical procedures decreased in number during the COVID-19 pandemic. • Surgical complication rates remained within the acceptable range. • Emergency procedures numbers remained the same throughout the study period. • Neurosurgical oncology cases were the highest in frequency. • There is a decline in hospital length of stay as we progressed during the study period., Objective This observational cross-sectional multicenter study aimed to evaluate the longitudinal impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on neurosurgical practice. Methods We included 29 participating neurosurgeons in centers from all geographical regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study period, which was between March 5, 2020 and May 20, 2020, was divided into three equal periods to determine the longitudinal effect of COVID-19 measures on neurosurgical practice over time. Results During the 11-week study period, 474 neurosurgical interventions were performed. The median number of neurosurgical procedures per day was 5.5 (interquartile range [IQR]: 3.5–8). The number of cases declined from 72 in the first week and plateaued at the 30′s range in subsequent weeks. The most and least number of performed procedures were oncology (129 [27.2 %]) and functional procedures (6 [1.3 %]), respectively. Emergency (Priority 1) cases were more frequent than non-urgent (Priority 4) cases (178 [37.6 %] vs. 74 [15.6 %], respectively). In our series, there were three positive COVID-19 cases. There was a significant among-period difference in the length of hospital stay, which dropped from a median stay of 7 days (IQR: 4–18) to 6 (IQR: 3–13) to 5 days (IQR: 2–8). There was no significant among-period difference with respect to institution type, complications, or mortality. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic decreased the number of procedures performed in neurosurgery practice. The load of emergency neurosurgery procedures did not change throughout the three periods, which reflects the need to designate ample resources to cover emergencies. Notably, with strict screening for COVID -19 infections, neurosurgical procedures could be safely performed during the early pandemic phase. We recommend to restart performing neurosurgical procedures once the pandemic gets stabilized to avoid possible post pandemic health-care system intolerable overload.

OBJECTIVE This observational cross-sectional multicenter study aimed to evaluate the longitudinal impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on neurosurgical practice. METHODS We included 29 participating neurosurgeons in centers from all geographical regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study period, which was between March 5, 2020 and May 20, 2020, was divided into three equal periods to determine the longitudinal effect of COVID-19 measures on neurosurgical practice over time. RESULTS During the 11-week study period, 474 neurosurgical interventions were performed. The median number of neurosurgical procedures per day was 5.5 (interquartile range [IQR]: 3.5–8). The number of cases declined from 72 in the first week and plateaued at the 30’s range in subsequent weeks. The most and least number of performed procedures were oncology (129 [27.2%]) and functional procedures (6 [1.3%]), respectively. Emergency (Priority 1) cases were more frequent than non-urgent (Priority 4) cases (178 [37.6%] vs. 74 [15.6%], respectively). In our series, there were three positive COVID-19 cases. There was a significant among-period difference in the length of hospital stay, which dropped from a median stay of 7 days (IQR: 4 – 18) to 6 (IQR: 3 - 13) to 5 days (IQR: 2 - 8). There was no significant among-period difference with respect to institution type, complications, or mortality. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic decreased the number of procedures performed in neurosurgery practice. The load of emergency neurosurgery procedures did not change throughout the three periods, which reflects the need to designate ample resources to cover emergencies. Notably, with strict screening for COVID -19 infections, neurosurgical procedures could be safely performed during the early pandemic phase. We recommend to restart performing neurosurgical procedures once the pandemic gets stabilized to avoid possible post-pandemic health-care system intolerable overload.