Foramen magnum meningioma poses a challenge for neurosurgeons. Prognosis has generally improved with diagnostic and surgical advances over the past two decades; however, it may ultimately depend more on the surgeon's ability to tailor the approach and interpret intraoperative risks in single case. Objective: The aim of this study is to present our experience of management of 10 patients with foramen magnum benign tumors. We studied clinical and surgical details of intradural extramedullary tumors located in the region of the foramen magnum. Patients and methods: This is a retrospective study included 10 patients with foramen magnum lesions were operated upon between 2005-2012. Depending upon the location of the lesion, patients were divided into two groups. `Group A' included patients with posterolaterally situated lesions (n=3) while `group B' included patients with lesions located anterolaterally (n=7). Results: Ten patients were operated upon; 7 females and 3 males. The age varied from 32 to 59 years with an average of 44.6 years. The average length of hospitalization was 18 days. Of the 10 patients in whom surgery was performed, 5 underwent gross-total, three near-total, and two subtotal removals of their tumors. Transient worsening of neurological deficits was occurred in three patients and two cases had CSF leakage. Conclusion: Foramen magnum tumors have long been regarded as difficult lesions both in terms of diagnosis and management. However, with the availability of MR imaging, newer surgical techniques and skull basal exposures, the excision of these lesions is becoming safer.
Key words: Foramen, Magnum, Meningioma, Schwannoma
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