• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.778-785
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• 2000

Objectives : Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring(INM) is a well known useful method to reduce intraoperative neurological complications during neurosurgical procedures. Furthermore, INM is required in most cerebellopontine angle(CPA) surgery because cranial nerves or brain stem injuries can result in serious complications. Object of this study is to the correlation between the changes of intraoperative monitoring modalities during cerebellopontine angle tumor surgery and post-operative functional outcomes in auditory and facial functions. Material and Methods : Fifty-seven patients who underwent intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring during CPA tumor surgery were retrospectively reviewed. Their lesions were as follows ; vestibular schwannomas in 42, other cranial nerve schwannomas in seven, meningiomas in five and cysts in three cases. Pre- and postoperative audiologic examinations and facial nerve function tests were performed in all patients. Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring modalities includes brainstem auditory evoked potentials(BAEP) and facial electromyographies(EMG). We compared the events of INM during CPA tumor surgeries with the outcomes of auditory and facial nerve functions. Results : The subjects who had abnormal changes during CPA tumor surgery were twenty cases with BAEP changes and facial EMG changes in twenty one cases. The changes of intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring did not always result in poor functional outcomes. However, most predictable intraoperative monitoring changes were wave III-V complex losses in BAEP and continuous neurotonic activities in facial EMG. Conclusion : These results indicate that intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring in CPA tumor surgery usually provide predictive value for postoperative functional outcomes.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2003

Purpose : To evaluate the role of fractlonated sterotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) in the management of benign brain tumors, we reviewed the clinical, and radiographic responses of patients treated. Methods and Materials : Between March 1995 and March 2002, 36 patients with benign brain tumors were treated by FSRT. The pathological diagnoses consisted of pituitary adenomas (12 patients), cranio-pharyngiomas (5 patients), meningiomas (10 patients), and acoustic neurinomas (9 patients). Radiotherapy doses of 25 to 35 Gy (3~6 Gy/fraction, 5~10 fractions) were prescribed to the 85~90% isodose line, depending upon the location, size and volume of the tumors. The median clinical and radiographical follow up periods were 31 (range, 2~74) and 21 (range, 4~56) months, respectively. Results : In the 35 patients that could be evaluated for their clinical response, 13 (37.1%) were considered improved, 16 (45.7%) stable and 6 (17.2%) worse. Of the 33 patients who had radiographic studies, tumor shrinkage was noted in 17 (51.5%), tumor stabilization in 13 (39.4%), and tumor progression in 3 (9.1%). Of the 17 tumor shrinkage patients, 7 (21.2%) showed a complete response. Acute radiation-induced complications occurred iin 11 (30.6%) patients. Conclusions : FSRT is considered a safe and effective treatment method for begin brain tumors, but large numbers of patients, with relatively long follow-up periods are needed to assess the exact role or effect of FSRT.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.241-247
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• 1993

Between July 1988 and December 1992, we treated 45 patients who had deep seated inoperable or residual and/or recurrent intracranial tumors using LINAC based stereotactic radiosurgery at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University Medical College. Treated intracranial tumors included pituitary tumors (n=15), acoustic neurinomas (n=8), meningiomas (n=7), gliomas (n=6), craniopharyngiomas (n=4), pinealomas (n=3), hemangioblastomas (n=2), and solitary metastatic tumor from lung cancer (n=1). The dimension of treatment field varied from 0.23 to 42.88 $cm^3\;(mean;\;7.26\;cm^3)$. The maximum tumor doses ranging from 5 to 35.5 Gy (mean; 29.9 Gy) were given, and depended on patients' age, target volume, location of lesion and previous history of irradiation. There were 22 male and 23 female patients. The age was varied from 5 to 74 years of age (a median age; 43 years). The mean duration of follow-up was 35 months (2~55 months). To date, 18 $(39.1\%)$ of 46 intracranial tumors treated with SRS showed absent or decrease of the tumor by serial follow-up CT and/or MRI and 16 $(34.8\%)$ were stationary, e.g. growth arrest. From the view point of the clinical aspects, 34 $(73.9\%)$ of 46 tumors were considered improved status, that is, alive with no evidence of active tumor and 8 $(17.4\%)$ of them were stable, alive with disease but no deterioration as compared with before SRS. Although there showed slight increase of the tumor in size according to follow-up imagings of 4 cases (pituitary tumor 1, acoustic neurinomas 2, pinealoma 1), they still represented clinically stable status. Clinically, two $(4.4\%)$ Patients who were anaplastic astrocytoma (n=1) and metastatic brain tumor (n=1) were worsened following SRS treatment. So far, no serious complications were found after treatment. The minor degree headache which could be relieved by steroid or analgesics and transient focal hair loss were observed in a few cases. There should be meticulous long term follow-up inall cases.