Microsurgical treatment of intracranial chondroma

Intracranial chondromas are rare benign tumors. Little data are available on the diagnosis and treatment of these tumors. Thus, we aimed to describe a large series of patients with intracranial chondroma and to analyze and discuss the clinical features and microsurgical treatment of these patients. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 30 patients (12 males and 18 females; mean age 35.4 years; age range 16-60 years) who had pathologically confirmed intracranial chondroma treated at our hospital from September 1996 to June 2008. Surgery was performed on all 30 patients: five patients underwent postoperative radiotherapy; 26 patients were followed up postoperatively for a mean duration of 45.8 months. The surgical approach was selected according to tumor location. Total resection was achieved in 11 patients, subtotal resection in 13, and partial resection in nine (three patients had recurrent chondroma). Follow-up showed that 21 patients recovered without recurrences, three had recurrence, and two patients died. The clinical manifestations included headache and multiple cranial nerve lesions. Imaging usually showed a well-demarcated extramedullary tumor, centrally located, without surrounding brain edema, partially calcified (73.3%) and with minimal vascularity, often accompanied by erosion and destruction of surrounding bone (56.7%). It is difficult to totally remove an intracranial chondroma, and it is not possible to differentiate a chondroma from a myxoma or chordoma at the cranial base on the basis of clinical manifestations and neuroradiological findings. Selection of the appropriate surgical approach is important for resection of the tumor.