Extramedullary foramen magnum tumors and their surgical management: An experience with 29 cases

Introduction: Surgical management of foramen magnum (FM) tumors is challenging by virtue of their location and vital neurovascular relationships. The ideal approach to anterior/anterolateral tumors continue to evoke controversy even in the modern era. In this article, we present and discuss our experience in the surgical management of these tumors. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study includes 29 consecutive patients (mean age 36.6 years, M: F = 2.63:1) of extramedullary tumors at the surgical foramen magnum, operated at our center, between 2007 and 2012. Results: Their mean duration of symptoms was 14. 6 months. A majority of the patients presented with motor symptoms (quadri/paraparesis, n = 21, 72.4%), neck pain with/without suboccipital radiation (n = 16, 55.2%) and sensory symptoms like tingling/numbness (n = 16, 55.2%). There were nine extradural (31%) and 20 intradural tumors (69%). Most of the tumors were located posterolateral to the neuraxis (n = 13, 44.8%). Nerve sheath tumors (n = 11, 38%) and meningiomas (n = 5, 17.2%) were the most commonly encountered histologies in our series. The standard posterior approach was the most frequently employed surgical approach (n = 20, 69%). Operative mortality and morbidity were 3.4 and 18.9%, respectively. At a mean follow-up of 27.3 months, 13 out of the 18 available patients improved. Conclusion: A majority of the foramen magnum tumors are amenable to excision via the standard posterior approach. Small anterior dural-based meningiomas/recurrent tumors may require a lateral approach like the far lateral approach.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Extramedullary foramen magnum tumors and their surgical management: An experience with 29 cases ; volume:9 ; number:04 ; year:2014 ; pages:223-232 ; Asian journal of neurosurgery ; 9, Heft 04 (2014), 223-232

Contributors, Places and Time

• Contributor: Das, Kuntal ; Kumar, Rajan ; Ashish, Kumar ; Bettaswamy, Guruprasad ; Mehrotra, Anant ; Jaiswal, Sushila ; Sahu, Rabi ; Jaiswal, Awadhesh ; Behari, Sanjay

Further information

• DOI: 10.4103/1793-5482.146616
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2022120110493979414512
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:34 AM CEST