Case Report: In this case series, all three female patients in their 4th and 5th decades of life presented with conus medullaris syndrome. Lower back pain, radiculopathy, lower limb weakness, and urinary incontinence are their main clinical presentation. Magnetic resonance imaging shows a well-defined intradural, extramedullary mass compressing onto the conus medullary region. These patients undergone microscopic assisted excision of the tumor and had remarkably good early outcome despite the advanced presentation of neurological deficit.
Conclusion: Despite the late presentation with significant neurological deficit, surgical excision of spinal schwannomas carries a good prognosis postoperatively due to their benign nature and extramedullary location.
DESIGN: Retrospective interventional case series.
PARTICIPANTS: Five patients with visual disturbances resulting from a benign, well-circumscribed orbital apex tumor (3 cases of cavernous hemangioma and 2 cases of schwannoma).
METHODS: Each patient treated with GKRS with a total radiation dose of 20 Gy in 4 sessions (5 Gy in each session with an isodose line of 50%) delivered to the tumor margin.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Best-corrected visual acuity, visual field changes, orbital imaging, tumor growth control, and side effects of radiation.
RESULTS: All patients demonstrated improvement in visual acuity, pupillary responses, color vision, and visual field. Tumor shrinkage was observed in all patients and remained stable until the last follow-up. No adverse events were noted during or after the radiosurgery. None of the patients experienced any radiation-related ocular morbidity.
CONCLUSIONS: From this experience, multisession GKRS seems to be an effective management strategy to treat solitary, benign, well-circumscribed orbital apex tumors.