Clinical features and surgical treatment of calcified meningiomas: a report of 58 cases

In order to study clinical features and surgical treatment of calcified meningiomas (CMs), fifty-eight patients with CMs who were surgically treated were analyzed and tumor characteristics and treatments were studied and compared with the literature. Subjects with CMs were an average of 53.5 year-of-age and CMs were frequently found in the cerebral convexity, falx, tentorium and middle cranial fossa, and were uncommonly in the sellar region and rarely in the pineal body area. CMs were symptomatic in 14% of cases and calcification occurred most commonly intratumorally and rarely in the wall of the meningioma. Calcification shapes were various and were found in transitional, meningothelial, fibroblastic and psammomatous meningiomas, and rarely in malignant and atypical meningiomas. There was no or mild peritumoral edema in most cases and a poor blood supply was common for most CMs. Simpson Grade I-II resection was achieved for 52 cases and grade III for the remaining 6 cases. Postoperative mortality was 1.7% and no tumor recurrence was observed after a follow-up of 48 months (on average) for all subjects. CMs have marked clinical characteristics compared with meningiomas and are associated with an excellent post-surgical prognosis.