Clinical presentation of "silent" meningiomas after general anaesthesia

We present two patients who became unrousable within 48 h aftergeneral anaesthesia for non-neurosurgical operations; both werefound to have frontal meningiomas. Analysis of these and previousreports suggest that several anaesthetic and peri-operativefactors probably combine to contribute to the accelerated presentationof these previously "silent" tumours, and we recommend thatdexamethasone should be administered early in the course ofunexplained neurological deterioration after operation. (Br.J. Anaesth. 1995; 74: 335–337) Present address: Department of Anaesthesia, Charing Cross Hospital,Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF.