The authors refer to their first experience with an unusual therapy of intracranial meningiomas. In 12 patients, eligible for a prospective longitudinal study in the years 2000–2003 the authors performed embolization of meningioma by an endovascular superselective technique without subsequent operation. The criteria for to being eligible to the study were clinical (symptomatic meningioma, absent syndrome of intracranial hypertension, category 3 and 4 according to ASA classification) and radiological (size of meningioma on MRI above 3 cm, prevailing dural type of vascular supply of the meningioma according to selective DSA). Five patients (mean age 80 years, category 4 according to ASA) died without connection with embolization for a serious systemic disease up to 70 days on the average. In one patient the volume of meningioma did not change, in another patient it increased by 14% and in five patients the volumes decreased during the period of observation (20 months on the average) by 10–90%. The method of embolization can be useful in patients who cannot be treated by either standard surgery for their high age or serious co-morbidity, or by the gamma knife due to the size of the meningioma above 3 cm.

        Key words: intracranial meningioma – superselective embolization – type of meningioma vascularization