Meningiomas of the cerebellopontine angle: tips and pearls for safe surgical resection

To present our series of cerebellopontine angle (CPA) meningiomas, and to provide some innovative surgical steps for safe removal of these tumors.The clinical, radiological, and surgical characteristics of 32 patients with meningioma in the CPA were retrospectively analyzed. A statistical analysis was performed to determine the factors that affect the incidence of complication.The mean age was 49.5 yr, and 87.5% of patients were men had World Health Organization (WHO) grade I meningioma, while the remaining patients had WHO grade II tumors. The mean tumor volume was 33.98 mL, and gross total resection was performed on 65.6% of the patients. Preoperative tumor size/extension and extent of resection were related with the development of complications.CPA meningiomas are challenging tumors to remove safely. Important risk factors for the development of postoperative complications include tumor size and extent of resection.