Background: Spinal canal tumors are difficult to diagnose and treat. The traditional\nsurgical approaches for attempting a complete excision of these lesions\nfrequently involve big incisions and tissue dissection with high risk of\npostop instability and cerebrospinal fluid leakage. Also, there is a risk of neurological\nworsening, sometimes irreversible. Methods: We present our experience\nin a patient series with spinal canal tumors and describe the surgical approach\nwith minimally invasive techniques (MIS). All of them were performed by the\nNeurosurgery team of the Hospital Universitario San Ignacio during the period\nof 2011-2016. Results: We reviewed forty patients with spinal canal tumors\nsurgically treated with MIS techniques. 15 patients (37.5%) had Meningioma\ndiagnosis (complete resection in 11 (73.3%), subtotal in 3 (20%) and biopsy in\none patient), 10 patients (25%) with Schwannomas reached complete resection\nin 70% and subtotal in 30%. 5 patients had spinal cord metastasis, with complete\nresection in 4 patients (80%) and subtotal in 1 (20%). Other included\nependymoma, astrocytoma, and miscellaneous. No patient has had cerebrospinal\nfluid leakage and no postoperative fusion has been required. Conclusions:\nThe minimally invasive approach allowed complete tumors removal in a high\nnumber of patients and good postoperative results. These findings are similar\nand in some cases, better than the reported with traditional techniques. This\nMIS technique provides encouraging results. It requires a wide learning curve\nand a high degree of surgical experience.
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