Surgical Management of Extracranial Meningiomas Arising in the Head and Neck

PurposeTo determine outcomes in the management of extracranial meningiomas of the head and neck.Patients and MethodsThis is a retrospective single-surgeon series performed at a tertiary-care referral center. In all, 23 patients met the inclusion criteria, consisting of 12 men and 11 women. The mean age of patients treated was 60.5 years (range, 32 to 71 years). Subsite involvement included the infratemporal fossa (n = 8), greater wing of the sphenoid and orbit (n = 7), clivus (n = 2), and parapharyngeal space (n = 6).ResultsIn all, recurrence occurred in 21% of patients (n = 5) who underwent gross tumor resection. Two patients underwent subtotal resection because of the tumor's location within the clivus with adjuvant CyberKnife therapy (Accuray, Sunnyvale, CA). Both patients had persistent disease with no new neurologic symptoms. Examination showed that 100% of patients (N = 23) had dural involvement. Post-ablative complications occurred in 43% of patients (n = 10).ConclusionsWe presently report the largest series of surgical treatment for extracranial meningiomas. Gross tumor resection should be the mainstay of therapy, except in anatomically restricted regions such as the petrous apex and clivus. Adjuvant therapy including CyberKnife therapy may be used in such lesions. All lesions showed dural involvement. A more unified nomenclature is required for the characterization of these lesions.