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01-10-2016 | Review

The role of 5-aminolevulinic acid in brain tumor surgery: a systematic review

Authors: Nicholas Ferraro, Eric Barbarite, Trevine R. Albert, Emmanuel Berchmans, Ashish H. Shah, Amade Bregy, Michael E. Ivan, Tyler Brown, Ricardo J. Komotar

Published in: Neurosurgical Review | Issue 4/2016

Abstract

Recently, 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) has been utilized as an adjuvant to the surgical resection of primary brain tumors and metastases. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to further understand the role of 5-ALA in neurosurgery. Our goal was to identify the utility of 5-ALA during resection by evaluating its sensitivity and specificity for different tumor types, as well as the extent of tumor resection achieved while using 5-ALA. A search of the literature was conducted using the PubMed database for the period January 1990 through May 2014. Surgical series in which 5-ALA was used for brain neoplasm resections were evaluated for tumor histology, sensitivity, specificity, extent of resection, complications, and outcomes. Twenty-two series, involving 1163 patients, were included in our review. 5-ALA sensitivity was highest in high-grade gliomas (85 %) and meningiomas (81 %). 5-ALA specificity was high in meningiomas (100 %), as well as metastases (84 %) and high-grade gliomas (82 %). Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved using 5-ALA in 66.2 % of all gliomas and 69.6 % of meningiomas, regardless of histological subtype. 5-ALA may be a useful tool in increasing the extent of resection and achieving GTR in intracranial tumors. The resection of tumors for which 5-ALA has high sensitivity and specificity, such as high-grade gliomas, may lead to an increase in extent of resection when compared to operations using only standard white light. Further evidence for the use of 5-ALA in meningiomas and certain subtypes of metastases may be needed to qualify its efficacy.

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Title: The role of 5-aminolevulinic acid in brain tumor surgery: a systematic review
Authors: Nicholas Ferraro
Eric Barbarite
Trevine R. Albert
Emmanuel Berchmans
Ashish H. Shah
Amade Bregy
Michael E. Ivan
Tyler Brown
Ricardo J. Komotar
Publication date: 01-10-2016
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Neurosurgical Review / Issue 4/2016
Print ISSN: 0344-5607
Electronic ISSN: 1437-2320
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10143-015-0695-2

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The role of 5-aminolevulinic acid in brain tumor surgery: a systematic review

Abstract

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Abstract

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