Meningioma of spinal cord: Diagnosis and surgery

During the 1980-1998 years we have treated 365 patients with spinal cord tumors. There were 99 (27.1 %) patients with meningioma among them: 14 (14.1 %) males and 85 (85.9 %) female. The purpose of this work was to analyze diagnosis and meningioma surgery. Diagnosis was specified by neurogical, radiological, contrast enchanced radioisotope myelography with RISAJ(131), In-133, positive myelography with majodyl, omnipaque, CT with omnipaque and MRI. Meningioma was totally removed in 91 (91.9 %) cases, subtotally - 8 (8.1 %). Early postoperative results: recovered 44 (44.4 %), improved - 16 (16.2 %) left with monoparesis 7 (7.1 %), paraparesis - 16 (16.2 %), paraplegia - 11 (11.1 %), tetraplegia - 2 (2.0 %) have died - 3 (3.0 %). There were 6 recurrencies: after 1, 3, 9, 10, 13 and 22 years after first operation. Surgical mortality 6.1 %.