Surgical Resection of Clinoidal Meningiomas without Routine Use of Clinoidectomy

Meningiomas of the anterior clinoid process (ACP) present significant surgical challenges given their anatomic relation to critical neurovascular structures. Routine anterior clinoidectomy is often described as a critical step in the resection of these tumors to reduce recurrence and improve visual outcomes. Anterior clinoidectomy, however, is not without risk and its benefits have not been clearly delineated. We present the outcomes of our series of surgically managed ACP meningiomas in which an anterior clinoidectomy was not routinely employed. A retrospective review of all ACP meningiomas operated on between August 1997 and March 2019 was conducted. Patients with a recurrent tumor or with