Meningioma Information

Mom asked me to post this information about brain tumors and specifically meningiomas, which is the type of tumor that she had removed.

May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month
I was surprised to read this as I gathered information from the American Brain Tumor Association!! That may explain why a few network TV shows incorporated brain tumors into their season finales this month, i.e. Bones, House, and Grey's Anatomy.

Some people have asked for more specifics about my brain tumor and surgery so here it is:

Meningiomas
Meningiomas arise from the lining of the brain called the "meninges." There are three layers: the dura mater, the arachnoid, and the pia mater. Meningiomas grow out of the middle layer -- the arachnoid. Accounting for almost half of all primary brain tumors, meningiomas are now the most common primary brain tumor

Preoperative diagnosis: large left posterior frontal, anterior parietal parasagittal meningioma

On April 1 the neurosurgeon performed a craniotomy.He opened the dura and excised circumferentially around its attachment to the tumor. The tumor expanded as it went into the depths. He debulked the tumor using an ultrasonic aspirator, a bipolar, sucker and scissors. The older part of the tumor in the center had calcified. The tumor was completely removed. After a graft, sutures, cranial facial plates, the skin edges were approximated with staples.

The pathologist reported that the tumor was benign!!!!

I will have periodic MRIs. It is unlikely that another tumor will ever grow, but if any cells ever appear, the neurosurgeon advises that a gamma knife is used.