The gold standard for diagnosing meningiomas is an MRI.
Any asymptomatic and slow growing meningiomas are usually managed with observation along with routine MRI imaging.
A meningioma does show up on MRI and an MRI is a commonly used test for diagnosing meningiomas.
As is the case with most other intracranial pathology, MRI is the investigation of choice for the diagnosis and characterization of meningiomas.
When appearance and location are typical, the diagnosis can be made with a very high degree of certainty.
Most times meningiomas are not cancerous and not very serious unless they grow enough to press on the brain and or spinal cord.
Depending on the location of the meningioma it can become very serious and become life threatening or very disabling.
Some forms of meningiomas are more aggressive than others.
The 4 types of meningiomas are Posterior Fossa Meningiomas which occur near the back of the brain, Sphenoid Meningiomas that are located near the sphenoid bone behind the eyes,, spinal meningiomas that are located in the spine and in some cases against your spinal cord and Suprasellar meningiomas which are located near the area of the skull where your pituitary gland is found.
Meningiomas do not need to be removed unless they grow to large and are pressing on the spinal cord or brain or if they turn cancerous.
Most meningiomas are small and slow growing and non cancerous and many of them do not need to be treated or removed.
A 2 cm meningioma is considered a small meningioma and a meningioma of 2.8 cm and over is considered to be large meningiomas.
A 5 cm meningioma is larger and is considered giant.
The size meningioma that is considered large is 3 cm and giant is a 5 cm meningioma.
The best treatment for meningioma is the complete removal of the meningioma through surgery since it lessens your chances of the meningioma tumor returning.
In some cases radiation may help reduce the size of the meningioma and radiation may also be considered to treat small remainders of the tumor after surgery.
The average life expectancy with meningioma is 5 years after diagnoses although some people have lived longer.
More than 90 percent of adults between the ages of 22 to 44 survive 5 years or longer after being diagnosed with meningioma.
Full recovery from meningioma removal surgery takes around 6 weeks to 12 weeks although you should be partially recovered from meningioma surgery within 2 weeks to 4 weeks and can return to work or regular activity.
Meningioma surgery is a serious surgery but also a pretty safe procedure with a 5 year survival rate exceeding 80 percent and 10 to 15 year survival rates exceed 70 percent.
The long term effects of meningioma surgery are cognitive issues, vision changes and headaches.
Partial recovery from meningioma brain surgery takes between 2 weeks to 4 weeks and full recovery from meningioma brain surgery takes 6 weeks to 12 weeks.
After meningioma surgery you can drive as soon as 6 months after the surgery as long as you are not having any seizures.
The meningioma surgery takes between 3 hours to 5 hours in most cases although in some cases meningioma surgery can take as long as 5 hours to 7 hours.
The success rate of meningioma removal surgery is 95 percent.
You can live a normal life after meningioma surgery and you should also remain vigilant with regular brain imaging.
Nearly half of surgically removed meningiomas have come back after 20 years so that is why you need to have regular imaging and monitorning after the meningioma surgery.
You should have a meningioma removed if it presses against your brain or spinal cord but most meningiomas do not need to be removed.
Not all meningiomas are removed and many meningiomas do not need removed or treated unless they press against your spinal cord or brain then surgery may be needed to remove those meningiomas.
Most meningiomas are non cancerous and small and do not require treatment or removal.
The average size of a meningioma is 3 cm at the time of diagnoses.
The life expectancy of a meningioma patient is between 5 and 10 years and sometimes longer as more than 90 percent of adults between the ages of 20 to 44 years of age will survive at least 5 years or more after being diagnosed with meningioma.
A meningioma can make you tired as fatigue and tiredness is a frequent problem in people with meningioma even several years after treatment.
Meningioma can spread to the lungs as the lung is also the most common site of meningioma metastasis, followed by the bones and your liver.
You should worry about a meningioma when you experience other symptoms such as loss of coordination, weakness in a leg or arm, trouble thinking, seizures, hearing loss, vision loss, nausea and headache.
A small meningioma is not considered serious and most meningiomas are benign and non cancerous but when they grow and depending on their location they can become serious and be life threatening.
Some types of meningiomas are more aggressive than others.
The common site of meningioma is along the surface of the brain and meningioma forms along the dura mater which is the outemost layer of tissue which covers and protects your brain and your spinal cord.
The dura mater is also one of three layers which form the meninges.
Meningioma is sometimes urgent but not always.
If you have sudden onset of seizures, sudden changes in your memory or vision then meningioma becomes urgent and you should seek emergency medical care right away.
Meningiomas are tumors which arise from the meninges which are the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.
Although not technically a brain tumor, meningiomas are included in this category because it can compress or squeeze the adjacent brain, nerves and vessels.
If you leave a meningioma untreated, it can grow as large as a grapefruit and can cause persistent headaches, nausea, loss of neurological function, weakness and/or numbness and tingling on one side of the body, seizures, hearing or vision loss, balance problems, and muscle weakness.
Most meningiomas are small, slow-growing and noncancerous, and many do not need to be removed or otherwise treated.
However, if a meningioma presses against the brain or spinal cord, surgery or another treatment may be considered to manage the resulting neurological symptoms.
Although the majority of meningiomas are benign, these tumors can grow slowly until they are very large, if left undiscovered, and, in some locations, can be severely disabling and life-threatening. Other forms of meningioma may be more aggressive.
More than 90% of adults between the ages of 20 and 44 survive for five years or longer after being diagnosed with meningioma.
This encouraging survival rate includes many patients who have gone on to live several decades after their diagnosis.
Meningiomas are the most common kind of brain tumor and account for about 30 percent of all brain tumors and most are treatable.
In fact, the majority of these tumors can be removed surgically, and many do not return.
Larger meningiomas may be more difficult to treat surgically in terms of their complete removal, depending on where they are located.
Although most large and giant meningiomas require surgical treatment, the decision for removal of smaller meningiomas (less than 3 centimeters in diameter) must be individualized.