The microsurgical anatomy of the jugular foramen

1995 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 903-909 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Adetokunboh Ayeni ◽  
Kenji Ohata ◽  
Kiyoaki Tanaka ◽  
Akira Hakuba

✓ The microsurgical anatomy of the jugular foramen was studied in 10 fixed cadavers, each cadaver consisting of the whole head and neck. Five of the cadavers were injected with latex. The jugular foraminal region was exposed using the infratemporal fossa type A approach of Fisch and Pillsbury in five cadavers (10 sides) and the combined cervical dissection—mastoidectomy—suboccipital craniectomy approach in five cadavers (10 sides). The right foramen was larger than the left in seven cases (70%), equal in two cases (20%), and smaller in one case (10%). The dura covering the intracranial portal of the foramen had two perforations, a smaller anteromedial perforation through which passed the ninth cranial nerve (CN IX), and a larger posterolateral perforation, through which passed the 10th and 11th cranial nerves (CNs X and XI) and the distal sigmoid sinus. The perforations were separated by a fibrous septum in 16 specimens (80%). After exiting the posterior fossa, CNs IX, X, and XI all lay anteromedial to the superior jugular bulb (SJB) within the jugular foramen. The inferior petrosal sinus (IPS) entered the foramen between CNs IX and X in most cases; however, in 10% of our cases it entered the foramen between CNs X and XI, and in 10% it entered the foramen caudal to CN XI. The IPS terminated in the SJB in 90% of our cases; in 40%, the IPS termination consisted of multiple channels draining into both the SJB and internal jugular vein. This study shows that the arrangement of the neurovascular structures within the jugular foramen does not conform to the hitherto widely accepted notion of discrete compartmentalization into an anteromedial pars nervosa containing CN IX and the IPS and a posterolateral pars venosa containing the SJB, CNs X and XI, and the posterior meningeal artery.

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.


1995 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Essam Saleh ◽  
Maged Naguib ◽  
Yasar Cokkeser ◽  
Miguel Aristegui ◽  
Mario Sanna

With advances in the lateral approaches to the skull base and the increasing success of the management of jugular foramen lesions, a thorough knowledge of the anatomy of this region is needed. The purpose of the present work is to study the detailed microsurgical anatomy of the lower skull base and the jugular foramen area as seen through the lateral approaches. Forty preserved skull base specimens and 5 fresh cadavers were dissected. The shape of the jugular bulb and its relationship to nearby structures were recorded. The different venous connections of the bulb were noted. The hypoglossal canal was identified and its contents were observed. The lower cranial nerves were studied at the level of the upper neck, at their exit from the inferior skull base, and in the jugular foramen. The results of the present study showed the complex and variable anatomy of this area. The classic compartments of the jugular foramen were not always present. Cranial nerves IX through XI followed different patterns while passing through the jugular foramen, being separated from the jugular bulb by bone, thick fibrous tissue, or thin connective tissue.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 486-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noritaka Komune ◽  
Satoshi Matsuo ◽  
Koichi Miki ◽  
Ken Matsushima ◽  
Yojiro Akagi ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND The jugular process forms the posteroinferior surface of the jugular foramen and is an important structure for surgical approaches to the foramen. However, its morphological features have not been well described in modern texts. OBJECTIVE To elucidate the microsurgical anatomy of the jugular process and examine its morphological features. METHODS Five adult cadaveric specimens were dissected in a cadaveric study, and computed tomography data from 31 heads (62 sides) were examined using OsiriX (Pixmeo SARL, Bernex, Switzerland) to elucidate the morphological features of the jugular process. RESULTS The cadaveric study showed that it has a close relationship with the sigmoid sinus, jugular bulb, rectus capitis lateralis, lateral atlanto-occipital ligament, and lateral and posterior condylar veins. The radiographic study showed that 9/62 sigmoid sinuses protruded inferiorly into the jugular process and that in 5/62 sides, this process was pneumatized. At the entry of the jugular foramen, if the temporal bone has a bulb-type jugular bulb, and if surgery concerns the right side of the head, the superior surface of the jugular process is more likely to be steep. CONCLUSION The jugular process forms the posteroinferior border of the jugular foramen. Resection of the jugular process is a critical step for opening the jugular foramen from the posterior and lateral aspects. Understanding the morphological features of the jugular process, and preoperative and radiographical examination of this process thus help skull base surgeons to access the jugular foramen.


1995 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 895-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidenori Ogasawara ◽  
Shuichi Oki ◽  
Hiroaki Kohno ◽  
Seiichiro Hibino ◽  
Yoko Ito

✓ A case is presented of painful tic convulsif caused by a posterior fossa meningioma, with right trigeminal neuralgia and ipsilateral hemifacial spasm. Magnetic resonance images showed an ectatic right vertebral artery as a signal-void area in the right cerebellopontine angle. At operation the tentorial meningioma, which did not compress either the fifth or the seventh cranial nerves directly, was totally removed via a suboccipital craniectomy. The patient had complete postoperative relief from the trigeminal neuralgia and her hemifacial spasm improved markedly with decreased frequency. From a pathophysiological standpoint, the painful tic convulsif in this case was probably produced by the tumor compressing and displacing the brainstem directly, with secondary neurovascular compression of the fifth and seventh nerves (the so-called “remote effect”).


Author(s):  
K.D. Langdon ◽  
D. Krivosheya ◽  
M.O. Hebb ◽  
B. Wehrli ◽  
L.C. Ang

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) is a rare tumour comprising <1% of all primary central nervous system tumours and the majority (~98%) occur supratentorially. We report on a 40-year-old female with a past medical history of a rare posterior fossa/cerebellar PXA who presented with a right-sided neck mass, decreased shoulder power and longstanding right tongue deviation with right-sided hemi-atrophy. The patient had prior tumour debulking. Recent MRI demonstrated an enhancing posterior fossa mass extending to the skull base at the jugular foramen and another mass in the upper neck along the jugular bulb with displacement and encasement of the right common carotid artery down to C5. Resection of the neck mass reveals an anaplastic PXA. The tumour has close approximation with adjacent peripheral nerves and is positive in 2 lymph nodes. Comparison with the original tumour molecular and immunohistochemical profiles reveals a conserved BRAF V600E mutation but the transformed malignant glioma now expresses dot-like EMA positivity and ATRX is completely lost (mutated). Transformation of a PXA (WHO Grade II) into an anaplastic PXA (WHO Grade III) has been well documented, but extracranial extension is extraordinarily rare. We report herein the first documented case of a posterior fossa PXA that underwent malignant transformation and extracranial invasion to the parapharyngeal space.


2004 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 12-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Faik Özveren ◽  
Uđur Türe

Removal of lesions involving the jugular foramen region requires detailed knowledge of the anatomy and anatomical landmarks of the related area, especially the lower cranial nerves. The glossopharyngeal nerve courses along the uppermost part of the jugular foramen and is well hidden in the deep layers of the neck, making this nerve is the most difficult one to identify during surgery. It may be involved in various pathological entities along its course. The glossopharyngeal nerve can also be compromised iatrogenically during the surgical treatment of such lesions. The authors define landmarks that can help identify this nerve during surgery and discuss the types of lesions that may involve each portion of the glossopharyngeal nerve.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 1400-1410 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Faik Özveren ◽  
Uğur Türe ◽  
M. Memet Özek ◽  
M. Necmettin Pamir

Abstract OBJECTIVE Compared with other lower cranial nerves, the glossopharyngeal nerve (GPhN) is well hidden within the jugular foramen, at the infratemporal fossa, and in the deep layers of the neck. This study aims to disclose the course of the GPhN and point out landmarks to aid in its exposure. METHODS The GPhN was studied in 10 cadaveric heads (20 sides) injected with colored latex for microsurgical dissection. The specimens were dissected under the surgical microscope. RESULTS The GPhN can be divided into three portions: cisternal, jugular foramen, and extracranial. The rootlets of the GPhN emerge from the postolivary sulcus and course ventral to the flocculus and choroid plexus of the lateral recess of the fourth ventricle. The nerve then enters the jugular foramen through the uppermost porus (pars nervosa) and is separated from the vagus and accessory nerves by a fibrous crest. The cochlear aqueduct opens to the roof of this porus. On four sides in the cadaver specimens (20%), the GPhN traversed a separate bony canal within the jugular foramen; no separate canal was found in the other cadavers. In all specimens, the Jacobson's (tympanic) nerve emerged from the inferior ganglion of the GPhN, and the Arnold's (auricular branch of the vagus) nerve also consisted of branches from the GPhN. The GPhN exits from the jugular foramen posteromedial to the styloid process and the styloid muscles. The last four cranial nerves and the internal jugular vein pass through a narrow space between the transverse process of the atlas (C1) and the styloid process. The styloid muscles are a pyramid shape, the tip of which is formed by the attachment of the styloid muscles to the styloid process. The GPhN crosses to the anterior side of the stylopharyngeus muscle at the junction of the stylopharyngeus, middle constrictor, and hyoglossal muscles, which are at the base of the pyramid. The middle constrictor muscle forms a wall between the GPhN and the hypoglossal nerve in this region. Then, the GPhN gives off a lingual branch and deepens to innervate the pharyngeal mucosa. CONCLUSION Two landmarks help to identify the GPhN in the subarachnoid space: the choroid plexus of the lateral recess of the fourth ventricle and the dural entrance porus of the jugular foramen. The opening of the cochlear aqueduct, the mastoid canaliculus, and the inferior tympanic canaliculus are three landmarks of the GPhN within the jugular foramen. Finally, the base of the styloid process, the base of the styloid pyramid, and the transverse process of the atlas serve as three landmarks of the GPhN at the extracranial region in the infratemporal fossa.


1990 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tryggve Lundar ◽  
Søren Jacob Bakke ◽  
Helge Nornes

✓ A 10-month-old child with achondroplasia with progressive head enlargement, ventriculomegaly, and wide subarachnoid spaces over the hemispheres was referred for evaluation. A steady-state lumbar infusion test revealed increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) outflow resistance (14 mm Hg/ml/min), and intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (DSA) demonstrated bilateral venous outflow obstruction due to stenosis of the jugular foramen. Surgical decompression by opening the right jugular foramen relieved the clinical signs of intracranial hypertension. During the following year, the patient's head enlargement was moderate with relative normalization of size. Repeat DSA demonstrated improved venous runoff on the right side, and a steady-state lumbar infusion test demonstrated reduced CSF outflow resistance (10 mm Hg/ml/min). Venous decompression is causal therapy and may prove to be preferable to shunting in children with hydrocephalus and bilateral stenosis of the jugular foramen.


1991 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 791-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric L. Rhoton ◽  
Albert L. Rhoton

✓ A 69-year-old white woman presented with a left hemiparesis which progressed to quadriparesis and encephalopathy. Computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a Chiari I malformation and a hydromyelic cavity extending from C-2 to T-6. Rostrally, the cavity extended through the ventral medulla, pons, and right cerebral peduncle into the right cerebral hemisphere, where the cavity enlarged and was associated with mass effect. The patient has made a dramatic neurological recovery following suboccipital craniectomy with insertion of a dural graft to decompress the Chiari malformation and upper cervical laminectomy and dorsal root entry zone myelotomy to decompress the hydromyelia.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Colasanti ◽  
Al-Rahim A Tailor ◽  
Mehrnoush Gorjian ◽  
Jun Zhang ◽  
Mario Ammirati

AbstractBACKGROUNDDifferent and often complex routes are available to deal with jugular foramen tumors with extracranial extension.OBJECTIVETo describe a novel extension of the retrosigmoid approach useful to expose the extracranial area abutting the posterior fossa skull base.METHODSA navigation-guided, endoscope-assisted retrosigmoid inframeatal approach was performed on 6 cadaveric heads in the semisitting position, displaying an area from the internal acoustic meatus to the lower cranial nerves and exposing the intrapetrous internal carotid artery. We then continued removing the temporal bone located between the sigmoid sinus and the hearing apparatus, reaching the infratemporal area just lateral to the jugular fossa. This drilling, which we refer to as posterolateral inframeatal drilling, has not previously been described. Drilling of the horizontal segment of the occipital squama allowed good visualization of the uppermost cervical internal carotid artery, internal jugular vein, and lower extracranial cranial nerves.RESULTSWe were able to provide excellent exposure of the inframeatal area and of the posterior infratemporal fossa from different operative angles, preserving the neurovascular structures and the labyrinth in all specimens. The intradural operative window on the extracranial compartment was limited by the venous sinuses and the hearing apparatus and presented a mean width of 8.52 mm. Sigmoid sinus transection led to better visualization of the lateral half of the jugular foramen and of the uppermost cervical internal carotid artery.CONCLUSIONThe navigation-guided endoscope-assisted extended retrosigmoid inframeatal infratemporal approach provides an efficient and versatile route for resection of jugular foramen tumors with extracranial extension.


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