Surgical treatment of ventral foramen magnum meningiomas.

Dr. Danilo Otávio de Araújo Silva – Rua Paissandu 200 / 401 50070-200 Recife PE Brasil. E-mail: [email protected] Foramen magnum meningiomas ( FMM) are rare tumors. They represent around 3% of all meningiomas. According to the literature, these tumors are among the most challenging meningiomas to treat. The main classification system of these lesions depends whether the tumor is anterior or posterior to the first dentate ligament. The localization of the tumor determines the surgical approach. FMM are slow growing tumors, the clinical presentation is often a long history of occipitocervical pain associated with long tract signs and lower cranial nerve deficits. The treatment of choice is surgical removal, when the patient’s clinical conditions allows that option. Debate exists about the best surgical approach and how much bone resection should be made to accomplish the ideal exposure. It is consensus that the early diagnose is the most important issue to insure a good outcome. We report two cases of ventral FMM that were successfully treated with surgical resection without adding any new neurologic deficits to the patient. Permission publication was granted by the institutional ethical committee.