Meningiomas are benign spinal arachnoid tumours, typically presenting as intradural extramedullary (IDEM) lesions that can compress the spinal cord and require surgical intervention. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques like mini-open, tubular and endoscopic approaches minimize tissue manipulation, reduce pain and accelerate recovery. This systematic review provides insights into current practices regarding MIS for cervical meningioma and presents a case series of eight patients with cervical meningioma effectively managed by MIS.

A comprehensive literature search was conducted across Embase, PubMed and Medline Ovid, focusing on MESH terms related to cervical vertebrae, nervous system neoplasms and minimally invasive surgical procedures. Risk of bias in retained studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools for case series and case reports. A narrative synthesis of our results is presented.

Nine studies with 15 patients undergoing MIS for cervical meningioma were included. Most tumours were at the craniospinal junction. Gross total resection (Simpson grade 2) was achieved in 14 cases, with no reported post-operative complications. The length of stay (LOS) ranged from 2 to 6 days, and no tumour recurrence was observed. Our case series of eight patients confirmed MIS benefits, including shorter operative times, comparable surgical outcomes, and the avoidance of spinal deformities requiring instrumentation.

In well-selected patients, MIS for cervical meningioma is a safe and effective procedure offering direct lateral access, minimal bony resection, limited soft tissue manipulation, and avoidance of cervical fusion, thereby minimizing post-operative complications and LOS.

Brain lesions may induce psychiatric symptoms in some cases. Imaging tests are important to make a differential diagnosis, and therefore initiate an appropriate treatment.

Presentation of a clinical case about a patient with psychiatric symptoms who presented an organic lesion.

Bibliographic review including the latest articles in Pubmed about psychiatric symptoms induced by organic lesions.

We present a 51-year-old male patient, with adequate previous functionality, who attended psychiatric consultations due to changes in his character, with delusional mystical and megalomaniac ideation, verbiage, hypoprosexia, memory loss and insomnia (diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder type II, hypomanic episode). Eventually, a brain computed tomography scan was performed, in which meningioma was visualized. The patient underwent surgery, and he asked to keep a sample of his tumor to always carry it with him on a pendant. Psychiatric symptoms induced by organic lesions are highly variable, depending on the location and size of the lesion, and they may be the first and/or only symptom of a meningioma (up to 21% according to various studies), so it is important to perform imaging tests in some cases. At this time, the patient is under follow-up, he has remained euthymic and stable, and he refuses to take psychopharmacological medication.

Psychiatric symptoms may be the first and/or only manifestation of an organic lesion in some cases. Neuroimaging tests (CT and MR) may be useful in the differential diagnosis. It is important to carry out an indiviualized treatment based on the patient’s pathology, which may include surgery and/or drugs.

No significant relationships.

Cerebral radionecrosis, a subacute or late effect of radiotherapy, can be debilitating and difficult to treat. Steroids can reduce symptoms, but have significant long-term side effects. Bevacizumab has been shown to reduce edema and other radiologic features associated with radionecrosis and improve patient symptoms. We report our experience using bevacizumab for cerebral radionecrosis.

We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients treated at our institution with bevacizumab for non-glioma-associated cerebral radionecrosis. We recorded change in symptoms, change in steroids, change in performance status, time to tumor progression, and time to death. We delineated the volume of necrosis pre- and post-bevacizumab on T1-post-gadolinium and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MRI scans.

We identified 15 patients, 8 with brain metastases, 6 with meningioma, and 1 with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Most received four doses of bevacizumab, 7.5 mg/kg q 3 weeks × 4 doses. Neuroimaging demonstrated a reduced T1 gadolinium-enhancing volume and edema in 14/15 patients (the average reduction in T1-post-gadolinium volume was 3.0 cm3, and average reduction in FLAIR volume was 27.9 cm3). There was no appreciable change in patient performance status. Steroid doses decreased in five of nine patients. There was a high rate (26%) of adverse events, including pulmonary embolism, stroke, and wound dehiscence. The median progression-free survival was 6.5 months.

Although bevacizumab is commonly prescribed for cerebral radionecrosis, in our retrospective cohort, the clinical benefits were modest and there was significant toxicity.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms may be the first and only manifestation of brain tumours, while classic neurological symptoms and signs may be minimal or absent at first. These patients will often receive psychiatric treatments for prolonged periods before correct diagnosis.

To report the case of a patient with olfactory groove meningioma presenting with neuropsychiatric symptoms as a basis for discussion.

Retrospective review of clinical notes, neuroimaging results and house photos. Literature review.

A 66-year-old woman was brought by police to the psychiatric emergency department Her neighbours had notified authorities of a bad smell, and police found the house was loaded with garbage. The patients reported depressive symptoms in the last 6 months, including apathy, anhedonia, social isolation, decreased appetite and insomnia; loss of basic skills such as cooking or cleaning; she also reported dizziness and two episodes of urinary and faecal incontinence in public. The patient had a history of being medicated for depression between 2000 and 2006. Currently she was taking only alprazolam 1 mg daily. During evaluation she was conscious, oriented and cooperative, with evident hypomimia, psychomotor inhibition and indifferent attitude. Cranial nerve function was preserved except for anosmia. Cranial CT and MRI showed a solid extra-axial tumour of 5.2x3.5x4.9 centimetres compatible with meningioma of the olfactory groove, and she was referred to Neurosurgery for surgical intervention.

This case illustrates the importance of a thorough organic evaluation, including neuroimaging, in the differential diagnosis of patients with atypical symptoms before making a psychiatric diagnosis and instituting treatment.

To evaluate the patterns of recurrence following postoperative conformal radiotherapy (RT) for intracranial meningioma.

Eighty-six patients who received conformal RT for intracranial meningiomas from 2014 to 2017 were retrospectively analysed. For documented recurrences, recurrence imaging was deformably co-registered to planning CT scan. In-field recurrence was defined as recurrence within the 90% isodose line, and out-of-field recurrences were those that occurred outside the 90% isodose line. We present the demographic details, surgical and RT details, outcomes and patterns of recurrence.

The median age was 46 years (range 17–72); 82·6% underwent surgery [46·5% had subtotal resection (STR), 43·7% gross tumour resection (GTR), 5·6% biopsy] and 17·4% had no surgery. Among these, 53·5% were WHO grade 2; 27·9% grade 1; and 1·2% grade 3 meningioma. Fifty per cent received stereotactic RT (SRT), 46·5% 3D conformal RT (3DCRT) and 3·5% intensity-modulated RT (IMRT). The mean clinical target volume (CTV) and planning target volume (PTV) margins were 4·5 mm (range 0–15) and 3·9 mm (range 1–5), respectively. The doses ranged from 54 to 59·4 Gy. The median follow-up after RT was 1·7 years (range 0·2–4·7). 17·4% were lost to follow-up, 5·4% had recurrence, and the median time to recurrence after completion of RT was 2 years (range 0·7–2·9). The 3-year recurrence-free rate was 81·5%. Three patients had in-field and two had in-field and out-of-field recurrence. Among the cases with recurrence, three received SRT, one 3DCRT and one IMRT. Four were grade 2 and one was grade 3 tumour, and the CTV margin ranged from 0 to 5 mm, and the PTV margin ranged from 3 to 5 mm.

Local recurrence was seen in grade 2 and 3 meningiomas. SRT probably had more recurrence as they had lesser CTV margin. Increased CTV margin, escalated dose up to 59·4 Gy and 3DCRT/IMRT may be helpful in preventing local recurrences in grade 2 and grade 3 meningiomas.

Hoarding often occurs without the presence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), showing distinguishable neuropsychological and neurobiological correlates and a distinct comorbidity spectrum. Furthermore, it presents itself secondarily to other psychiatric and neurobiological disorders. Therefore hoarding disorder has been included as independent diagnosis in DSM-5.

We aim to expose the possible organic etiology of a hoarding disorder case with atypical presentation.

We present a case of a 48 years old male patient who was brought to the hospital by the police after being reported for unhealthy conditions in his home. In the home visit paid by the Social Services an excessive hoarding of objects and trash was detected. A possible hoarding disorder was diagnosed in the psychiatric assessment. Among other diagnostic test, a brain CT was conducted, in which a frontal meningioma was identified. After surgical treatment, hoarding symptoms diminished significantly.

A significant part of the hoarding disorders are attributed to primary psychiatric disorders, resulting in potentially treatable organic pathology going unnoticed.

It's important to rule out organic etiology before proceeding to make a definitive hoarding disorder diagnosis, optimizing that way the treatment options.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Direct extension of an intracranial meningioma to involve the temporal bone is rare. Recognised sites of origin and routes of access to the middle ear and labyrinthine apparatus have been described. Direct spread through the temporal bone to primarily involve the external auditory canal has not been widely reported in the literature.

This paper discusses clinical and radiological findings in three cases of temporal bone meningioma presenting as masses within the external auditory canal.

Diagnosing temporal meningioma can be challenging because of its rarity and the often non-specific clinical and histological findings. It is important for both the surgeon and radiologist to be aware of the diagnosis and its related imaging findings in order to facilitate a timely diagnosis.

To report a case of meningioma arising from the nervus intermedius.

This paper comprises a case report, literature review, and discussion regarding the presentation of a nervus intermedius meningioma, comparing and contrasting this to other relevant neoplasms of the internal auditory canal and cerebellopontine angle.

Tumours of the cerebellopontine angle include vestibular schwannomas, facial schwannomas and, more rarely, nervus intermedius schwannomas. The nervus intermedius is a division of the facial nerve at the cerebellopontine angle, with parasympathetic and afferent somatic components. Our patient presented with progressive hearing loss. An ipsilateral internal auditory canal mass at the fundus, as indicated by magnetic resonance imaging and electroneuronography, was suggestive of vestibular schwannoma. Intra-operative dissection revealed a nervus intermedius tumour. Histological evaluation indicated a meningioma rather than a schwannoma.

This is the first reported case of meningioma involving the nervus intermedius. The implications this pathology may have on surgical approach, facial nerve outcomes, and the need for improved pre-operative imaging and intra-operative monitoring are discussed. A review of the current literature on nervus intermedius tumour is provided.

Meningiomas are slow-growing, benign tumours originating from the arachnoid villi of the meninges. They account for 13 to 26 per cent of all intracranial neoplasms. Less than 1 per cent of all meningiomas are primary extracranial tumours of the ear and temporal bone. Intracranial meningiomas extending to the middle-ear cleft are uncommon, with fewer than 100 cases reported to date. Presenting symptoms of the latter condition may include hearing loss, tinnitus, dizziness, vertigo and facial palsy. Otitis media with effusion secondary to eustachian tube dysfunction has also been reported.

To describe three patients in whom chronic otitis media was the presenting sign of skull base meningioma.

Case presentations.

Presentation of clinical and imaging findings as well as management considerations.

Meningioma involving the middle ear is an extremely rare condition, and is diagnosed by computed tomography in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging. When biopsy is performed, the histological features, characteristic immunophenotype and ultrastructural analysis are valuable aids to definitive diagnosis. In patients with no neurological symptoms, ‘wait and scan’ is often the best management option.

To report a rare case of primary meningioma of the middle ear.

We describe the case of a 55-year-old woman who presented with decreased hearing and fullness in the left ear, with a middle-ear mass. We also review the world literature regarding primary extracranial meningioma of the middle ear and its management.

Primary middle-ear meningioma, a rare clinical entity, was diagnosed in this patient based on an initial transmastoid biopsy. Magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium enhancement excluded the presence of an intracranial component. Complete excision of the tumour was achieved using a combined approach tympanoplasty. The patient had an uneventful post-operative course.

Meningiomas, although rare in the middle ear, need to be included in the differential diagnosis of middle-ear lesions presenting to the otolaryngologist. This case emphasises the management strategy required when dealing with a middle-ear mass.