scholarly journals Classification and management of cervical paragangliomas

2011 ◽  
Vol 93 (8) ◽  
pp. 596-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ Obholzer ◽  
R Hornigold ◽  
S Connor ◽  
MJ Gleeson

INTRODUCTION Cervical paragangliomas are slow-growing tumours that eventually cause lower cranial nerve palsies and infiltrate the skull base. Surgical treatment may cause the same deficits and, in some, risks more serious neurological deficits. We describe a classification used to guide investigation, consent and management of cervical paragangliomas based on extensive experience. METHODS The case notes of patients managed by the senior author at a tertiary referral skull base unit between 1987 and 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. A total of 87 cervical paragangliomas were identified in 70 patients (mean age: 46 years, range: 13–77 years). Of these, 35 patients had 36 vagal paragangliomas, 43 patients had 50 carotid body paragangliomas and 8 had both. One cervical paraganglioma arose from neither the carotid body nor the nodose ganglion. The main outcome measures were death, stroke, gastrostomy and tracheotomy. RESULTS All tumours were classified pre-operatively based on their relationship to the carotid artery, skull base and lower cranial nerves. Type 1 tumours were excised with a transcervical approach, type 2 with a transcervical-parotid approach and type 3 with a combined transcervical-parotid and infratemporal fossa approach. Type 4 patients underwent careful assessment and genetic counselling before any treatment was undertaken. There were no peri-operative deaths; two patients had strokes, one required a long-term feeding gastrostomy and none required a tracheotomy. CONCLUSIONS The use of a pre-operative classification system guides management and surgical approach, improves accuracy of consent, facilitates audit and clarifies which patients should be referred to specialised centres.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 136-139
Author(s):  
Eric Tamrazian ◽  
Bijal Mehta

The jugular foramen and the hypoglossal canal are both apertures located at the base of the skull. Multiple lower cranial nerve palsies tend to occur with injuries to these structures. The pattern of injuries tend to correlate with the combination of nerves damaged. Case Report: A 28-year-old male was involved in an AVP injury while crossing the highway. Exam showed a GCS of 15 AAOx3, with dysphagia, tongue deviation to the right, uvula deviation to the left and a depressed palate. Initial imaging showed B/L frontal traumatic Sub-Arachnoid Hemorrhages (tSAH), Left Frontal Epidural Hematoma and a Basilar Skull Fracture. On second look by a trained Neuroradiologist c At 3 month follow up, patient’s tongue normalized to midline and his dysphagia resolved. Discussion: Collette-Sicard syndrome is a rare condition/syndrome characterized by unilateral palsy of CN: IX, X, XII. This condition has been rarely described as a consequence of blunt head trauma. In most cases, the condition is self-limiting with patients regaining most to all of their neurological functions within 6 months. Nerve traction injuries and soft tissue edema compressing the cranial nerves are the leading two hypothesis. In conclusion, injuries with focal neurological deficits which were not apparent on initial imaging should be reviewed by relevant experts with concomitant knowledge of the patient’s history.


1989 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 611-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaka Sawamura ◽  
Yoku Nakagawa ◽  
Toshio Ikota ◽  
Hiroshi Abe

✓ Neurinomas arising from the peripheral branch of the acoustic nerve distal to the internal auditory canal in the temporal bone are rare. Two advanced skull-base neurinomas are described which were situated mainly in the temporal petrous bone, and extended to the parapharyngeal space anteriorly, to the lateral cervical portion inferiorly, into the sphenoidal sinus medially, and into the middle and posterior cranial fossae compressing the brain stem. Both patients had been deaf for several years without other neurological deficits. The operative findings revealed that the fifth, seventh, and caudal cranial nerves were intact; therefore, it was suspected that these neurinomas originated primarily within the cochlea or the vestibule in the temporal bone. The tumors were completely removed via an extradural approach, with good results. Since the surgical treatment of such advanced skull-base neurinomas is difficult, the operative infratemporal fossa approach is described in detail.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Toledo-Gotor ◽  
Nerea Gorría ◽  
Miren Oscoz ◽  
Katia Llano ◽  
Pablo la Fuente Rodríguez-de ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Multiple lower cranial nerve palsies have been attributed to occipital condyle fractures in older children and adults, but no clinical details of other possible mechanisms have been described in infants. Case Report A 33-month-old boy suffered blunt head trauma. A bilateral skull base fracture was diagnosed, with favorable outcome during the first days after trauma. On the sixth day, the patient began to refuse drinking and developed hoarseness. Physical examination and additional investigations revealed paralysis of left VII, IX, X, and XI cranial nerves. A follow-up computed tomography (CT) scan disclosed a left petrous bone fracture involving the lateral margin of the jugular foramen, and a cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study showed a left cerebellar tonsil contusion. He improved after methylprednisolone was started. Three months later, he was asymptomatic, although mild weakness and atrophy of the left sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles remained 1 year later. Discussion A posttraumatic “jugular foramen syndrome” is rare in children, but it has been reported shortly after occipital condyle fracture, affecting mainly IX, X, and XI cranial nerves. In this toddler, delayed symptoms appeared with unilateral involvement. While an occipital fracture was ruled out, neuroimaging findings suggest the hypothesis of a focal contusion as a consequence of a coup-contrecoup injury. Conclusion This exceptional case highlights the importance of gathering physical examination, anatomical correlation, and neuroimaging to yield a diagnosis.


2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-192
Author(s):  
Forhad H Chowdhury ◽  
Mohammod R Haque ◽  
Mahmudul Hasan

Introduction: Jugular foramen tumor is a rare tumor. Jugular foramen schwannoma is rarer. This type of tumor may present in combination of different cranial nerve palsies in the form of different syndromes or may also be diagnosed incidentally. Management of such tumor is not straight forward.Case reports: Two young male presented with headache, vomiting, gait instability, right sided hearing loss. Clinically they had different cranial nerves dysfunction. Imaging showed jugular foramen tumor extending from posterior fossa to almost common carotid bifurcation at neck in both cases. Near total microsurgical excisions of the tumor were done through retrosigmoid suboccipital plus transmastoid high cervical approach with facial nerve mobilization in one case and without mobilization in other case. In case 1 combination of lower cranial nerve palsies is unique with inclusion of VIII nerve and that does not belong to any of the jugular foramen syndromes (i.e. Vernet, Collet- Sicard, Villaret, Tapia, Schmidt, and Jackson). Here IX, X, XI, XII and VIII cranial palsies was present (i.e.Collet-Sicard syndrome plus VIII nerve syndrome!). In the second case there was IX & X dysfunction with VIII dysfunction. We also went through the short review of the literature here DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjo.v18i2.12015 Bangladesh J Otorhinolaryngol 2012; 18(2): 183-192


2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 376-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet Patmore ◽  
Ala Jebreel ◽  
Sandeep Uppal ◽  
Chris H. Raine ◽  
Paul McWhinney

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. E1-E1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duarte N C Cândido ◽  
Jean Gonçalves de Oliveira ◽  
Luis A B Borba

Abstract Paragangliomas are tumors originating from the paraganglionic system (autonomic nervous system), mostly found at the region around the jugular bulb, for which reason they are also termed glomus jugulare tumors (GJT). Although these lesions appear to be histologically benign, clinically they present with great morbidity, especially due to invasion of nearby structures such as the lower cranial nerves. These are challenging tumors, as they need complex approaches and great knowledge of the skull base. We present the case of a 31-year-old woman, operated by the senior author, with a 1-year history of tinnitus, vertigo, and progressive hearing loss, that evolved with facial nerve palsy (House-Brackmann IV) 2 months before surgery. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans demonstrated a typical lesion with intense flow voids at the jugular foramen region with invasion of the petrous and tympanic bone, carotid canal, and middle ear, and extending to the infratemporal fossa (type C2 of Fisch's classification for GJT). During the procedure the mastoid part of the facial nerve was identified involved by tumor and needed to be resected. We also describe the technique for nerve reconstruction, using an interposition graft from the great auricular nerve, harvested at the beginning of the surgery. We achieved total tumor resection with a remarkable postoperative course. The patient also presented with facial function after 6 months. The patient consented with publication of her images.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. E414-E414
Author(s):  
Alvaro Campero ◽  
Matias Baldoncini ◽  
Juan F Villalonga ◽  
Amparo Sáenz

Abstract The orbitomeningeal or meningo-orbital band (MOB) has been described as the most superficial dural band responsible for tethering the frontotemporal basal dura to the periorbita.1,2 The MBO usually interferes with the surgical approach to the most profound areas of the anterior and middle skull base. It is known that there are no cranial nerves on the lateral surface of the superior orbital fissure; therefore, the neurosurgeon can cut the MOB without causing any neurological deficit and, at the same time, achieving fully exposure of the anterior clinoid process1-4 and/or the lateral wall of the cavernous sinus.5 The purpose of this video is to describe the microsurgical anatomy of the MOB and illustrate the technique for its detachment, accompanied by 2 illustrative cases. To achieve this, we use 3-dimensional recordings of 2 cadaveric specimens’ dissections performed by the senior author. Case 1: 58-yr-old female with left blindness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows an anterior and middle skull base lesion with orbital compression. Case 2: 32-yr-old male presenting with headache and trigeminal neuralgia. The MRI revealed an hourglass-shaped lesion in the posterior and middle fossa. Both patients signed an informed consent and agree with the use of their images for research purposes. We used a step-by-step approach for an adequate and secure dissection of the MOB highlighting the anatomic structures involved in the process. This approach allows safe and adequate access to the deeper structures of the anterior and middle skull base.


Neurosurgery ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 433???5
Author(s):  
A F Reynolds ◽  
P R Weinstein ◽  
R D Wachter ◽  
E L LaBadie ◽  
J S Sachdev

Author(s):  
Gregg MacLean ◽  
Alan Guberman ◽  
Antonio Giulivi

ABSTRACT:Dysarthria, dysphagia and repeated aspiration in a 54-year-old woman diagnosed and treated for myasthenia gravis 7 years earlier were initially thought to represent a late exacerbation of myasthenia. A cervical mass invading the jugular foramen and causing multiple lower cranial nerve palsies was biopsied and found to represent invasive ectopic thymoma.


Author(s):  
James K. Liu ◽  
Kevin Zhao ◽  
Soly Baredes ◽  
Robert W. Jyung

AbstractGlomus vagale tumor is a paraganglioma of the vagus nerve. It is a rare type of benign tumor that occupies the head and neck and skull base regions. Patients often present with lower cranial nerve dysfunctions such as difficulty swallowing, tongue weakness, and hoarseness. Surgical treatment can be complex and difficult due to its high vascularity, frequent involvement of lower cranial nerves, and surrounding critical vascular structures. In this operative video, we demonstrate an extended anterolateral infralabyrinthine transjugular approach for microsurgical resection of a giant glomus vagale tumor in a 53-year-old male who presented with an enlarging neck mass, difficulty swallowing, right tongue weakness, and hoarseness. Imaging revealed a giant glomus vagale tumor in the right parapharyngeal space extending into the jugular foramen with occlusion of the internal jugular vein. After preoperative embolization, the patient underwent a near-total resection of the tumor with a small microscopic residual at the pars nervosa. In summary, the extended anterolateral infralabyrinthine transjugular approach is a useful strategy for removal of giant glomus vagale tumors extending into the skull base. The surgical technique and nuances are described in a step-by-step fashion in this illustrative operative video.The link to the video can be found at: https://youtu.be/L0EosQK95LE.


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