[Ophthalmologic characteristics of spheno-orbital meningiomas: a series of 23 surgical cases].

PURPOSE: The authors report the ophthalmological characteristics and the postoperative results of patients presenting with spheno-orbital meningioma. DESIGN: A retrospective study of 23 charts of patients, presenting with spheno-orbital meningioma between 1994 and 2007, was performed. The data of preoperative and postoperative ophthalmologic examinations, perimetry and visual evoked potentials were collected. RESULTS: All the 23 patients were female. Diagnostic elements were proptosis (n=18), filling of the temporal pit (n=12) and visual impairment (n=11). Diagnosis was confirmed by orbital imaging. Perimetry and visual evoked potentials enabled to detect asymptomatic impairment of visual function, perimetry being the more sensitive method. Neurosurgery was the gold standard treatment, completed with radiotherapy in some cases of incomplete surgery or recurrence. CONCLUSION: Meningioma without optic nerve compression in the optic canal had better postoperative results with stabilization or improvement of the visual acuity compared with more unpredictable results obtained in cases with preoperative compression in the optical canal. Long term follow up of these patients is necessary because of the risk of relapse (n=3).