A 35-year-old woman was experiencing headache and vision loss from pressure and swelling in her brain related to a large tumor at the base of her skull. The tumor was an olfactory groove meningioma.
Pre-surgical scan shows a large olfactory groove meningioma.
Post-surgical scan show the successful removal of the large tumor via EEA surgery.
Traditional surgery would require a long scalp incision and lifting the front of the brain to get to the olfactory groove meningioma. This particular tumor presented a challenge because of its height, which would require a long reach to the top of the tumor.
Using EEA, UPMC surgeons removed the tumor without lifting the brain. Because of the height of the tumor, the surgeons removed the tumor in two steps, allowing the top of the tumor to fall down to them once the lower portion was removed, rather than chasing it up into the delicate reaches of the brain.
The entire meningioma was successfully removed using this surgical approach, and the patient's vision was restored.
Treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.
