Falcotentorial meningiomas: Optimal surgical planning and intraoperative challenges – case report

Abstract

Meningiomas arising from the falcotentorial junction are rare, and the selection of the optimal surgical approach is essential. We report a 41-year-old man presented with progressive left paresis in the lower limbs. An MRI showed a solid mass inside the third ventricle in contact with the falcotentorial dural junction. The tumor was removed by the transtentorial/transfalcine occipital approach, performed with the patient in the three-quarter prone position. The tumor was devascularized from the tentorium, then debulked and finally dissected. The affected falx and tentorium were resected, but all of patent dural venous sinuses were preserved. The tumor was a subtotal resect. Choosing the surgical approach is essential for the safe and effective removal of an FTM and preoperative imaging analysis should identify the tumor’s anatomical relations and guide toward the least disruptive route that preserves the neurovascular structures. This article aims to report a successfully treated FTM.