Surgical outcomes of ventrally located cervical spinal meningiomas

Retrospective cohort study OBJECTIVES: Ventrally located cervical spinal meningiomas present significant surgical challenges due to their proximity to the spinal cord and nerve roots. This study aimed to evaluate the surgical outcomes of these tumors resected via the posterior approach and to compare them with dorsolaterally located meningiomas.

The single institution in Japan.

A retrospective review was conducted on 39 patients who underwent posterior surgical resection of cervical spinal meningiomas between 2008 and 2023, with a minimum follow-up of one year. Patients were classified into ventral (n = 17) and dorsolateral (n = 22) groups based on tumor localization. Neurological function was assessed using the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, and surgical outcomes were compared.

The groups had no significant differences in operative time or blood loss. However, nerve root resection was significantly more frequent in the ventral group (41.2 vs. 9.1%, p = 0.02), and perioperative complications and intraoperative motor-evoked potential amplitude reduction (35.3 vs. 4.5%, p = 0.03) were more common (41.2 vs. 13.6%, p = 0.06). Although postoperative JOA scores were lower in the ventral group (14.6 ± 0.6 vs. 16.4 ± 0.3, p = 0.01), both groups showed significant postoperative improvement compared to preoperative scores (p < 0.01).

Despite the higher risk of nerve root sacrifice and limited neurological recovery associated with the posterior approach, considering the functional improvements from baseline, it remains a viable surgical option for ventrally located cervical meningiomas. Further studies comparing different surgical approaches are needed to optimize treatment strategies.