A retrospective study of perioperative outcomes following surgery for brain tumors

Abstract

Background: Extensive surgical resection remains nowadays the best treatment available for most brain tumours. Perioperative outcomes following surgery for brain tumors are an important indicator of the safety as well as efficacy of surgical intervention. The goal of this study was to review the results of surgical treatment in our Department, run by a single neurosurgeon, in order to quantify morbidity and mortality and determine predictive risk factors for each patient. Materials and Methods: A total of Three hundred patients undergoing various surgeries for brain tumors were analyzed. Routine surgical techniques and uniform antibiotic policy were used. Navigation advanced operating microscope/ intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring was not available. The endpoints assessed included immediate postoperative neurological status, neurological outcome at discharge, regional complications, systemic complications, overall morbidity, and mortality. Various risk factors assessed included clinico-epidemiological factors, tumor-related factors, and surgery-related factors. Results: Median age was 36.37 years. 74.3% had tumors larger than 4 cm. Neurological morbidity, and regional and systemic complications occurred in 14.3, 14.3, and 11.3%, respectively. Overall, major morbidity occurred in 14.3% and perioperative mortality rate was 3.3%. Conclusions: Our patients were younger and had larger tumors than were generally reported. Despite the unavailability of advanced intraoperative aids, we could achieve acceptable levels of morbidity and mortality rates. The knowledge of the complications rate in each particular neurosurgical department turns out essentially to provide the patient with tailored information about risks before surgery.

Keywords

• Brain tumors
• neurological outcomes
• perioperative outcomes
• surgical complications