Volume 24, Issue 104, July - August, 2020

Visual improvement after skull base tumor surgery in Yemen

Omar Mohammad-Ayman Abdulkarim Safi^1♦, Adnan AL-Awadhi²

¹Arab board of neurosurgery; final year. Al-Thawrah modern general hospital (TMGH) in Sana’a, Yemen
²Consultant Neurosurgeon, Head of Neurosurgical Department. Al-Thawrah modern general hospital (TMGH) in Sana’a, Yemen

^♦Corresponding author
Dr Omar Mohammad-Ayman Abdulkarim Safi. Neurosurgical Department. Al-Thawrah modern general hospital (TMGH), P.O.B (9750) Sana’a 4339. E-mail: omarsafi@hotmail.com

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To demonstrate the visual improvement after skull base tumor surgery in Yemen; and to evaluate its relation with different related parameters. Method: Data were obtained by retrospective chart review for a period of three years (1 January 2017 until 31 December 2019), in Al-Thawrah modern general hospital (TMGH) in Sana’a, Yemen. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Significant results were indicated when the p-value was less than 0.05. Results: Fifteen patients with visual deficit; ages [1-65 Years (mean=34 years ± 22 years)]; 8 males; 8 different surgical approaches of craniotomies were used (but not endoscopic) for the management of 7 different brain space occupying lesions; 5(33.3%) showed postoperative visual improvement only among Subfrontal approach (40%) and Pterional approach (75%), while 50.0% (1/2) for Suprasellar meningioma after Subfrontal approach and Pterional approach. Five patients (33.3%) had post operative diabetes insipidus and 2 (13.3%) had CSF leak. Visual improvement was directly proportional with the follow-up but inversely proportional with preparative duration. Conclusion: The total post operative visual improvement was low (33.33%), but tends to be higher (50%) for suprasellar meningioma after subfrontal approach or pterional approach. The shorter pre-operative duration and longer post operative follow-up, the betters the visual improvement. Surgery by craniotomies but not by endoscopy was used.

Keywords: Skull base tumor surgery, Visual deficit, Visual improvement, Meningiomas, Retrobulbar tumour, 3rd ventricular colloid cyst, Subfrontal approach, Pterional approach, CSF leak, Diabetes insipidus.

Medical Science, 2020, 24(104), 2399-2410

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