“Of course, it is sad and devastating news to be diagnosed with a brain tumor, but we neurosurgeons love this brain tumor called Meningioma. “It is a tumor. When we can remove the entire tumor originating from the cerebral cortex, there is usually a complete cure and the brain tumor does not recur. As long as we can diagnose this tumor early before it grows too large and engulfs important structures of the brain.”
So what are the symptoms?
“Most of us don’t care about persistent and long-lasting headaches. However, since meningioma is a slow growing mass, it may first manifest itself only as a headache. Depending on the location of the tumor, epileptic seizures may occur in a part of the body. It can cause numbness, weakness, paralysis, vision loss.If it is not diagnosed early, the tumor grows and unfortunately can even cause death due to the pressure on vital structures, increasing intracranial pressure.Rarely, this tumor, which we know as benign, has a worse character and can grow rapidly. ”
How can it be diagnosed early?
“These tumors, which can calcify because they grow slowly, can sometimes be detected with an X-ray imaging, but they can often be missed with a plain tomography or MR imaging. The best diagnosis method is intravenous. It is an MR imaging taken with a contrast (dye) substance.”
When and how is the operation performed?
“We either follow very small meningiomas that do not exceed a certain size or we try to eliminate the possibility of growth with radiation therapy. However, the tumor continues to grow, serious pressure on the brain tissue and we prefer to remove it with surgery if the symptoms are more. Our operation entry way and method varies according to the location of the tumor. While a very easy and short operation is enough to remove some tumors, sometimes it may be required in troublesome operations with microsurgery. At Maltepe Medical Faculty, our necessary intensive care conditions, our team, Our tools and equipment allow us to perform critical operations with these surgical microscopes. If the tumor has spread to other structures, they may need to be removed, but as we said before, the results are generally satisfactory and result in the patient’s recovery. The important thing is that this tumor can be detected early and on time. We know how frightening it is. It is important to know that this tumor called meningioma is not as terrible as other malignant tumors and that the patient can continue his normal life with appropriate treatment.”
Associate Professor ALPER KARAOĞLAN
