New technique of side-to-end hypoglossal—facial nerve attachment with translocation of the infratemporal facial nerve

1999 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Darrouzet ◽  
Jean Guerin ◽  
Jean-Pierre Bébéar

Object. The goal of this study was to assess the clinical results of hypoglossal-facial nerve attachment (HFA), which was primarily performed in patients following excision of tumors of the cerebellopontine angle. In six of the patients a new side-to-end procedure was used.Methods. The authors have performed a retrospective study of 33 patients who underwent HFA, including 24 classic end-to-end, three May, and six side-to-end procedures. For the latter procedure, a hemihypoglossal—facial nerve attachment was performed by rerouting the intratemporal facial nerve; this avoided the jump-cable graft used in May's technique. The goal of the new procedure is to reduce the incidence of morbidity due to hemilingual paralysis (difficulty in chewing, speaking, and swallowing). The incidence of hemilingual paralysis was evaluated based on the findings of a questionnaire that was completed by the patients. The patient's facial mobility was assessed using the House and Brackmann grading system and the author's analytic scoring system.Conclusions. The HFA offers good functional results. Of the 28 cases evaluated, nine had House and Brackmann Grade III, 17 Grade IV, and only two Grade V at 18 months. When the new technique of side-to-end hemihypoglossal—facial nerve attachment was used, there was considerable reduction, if not complete disappearance, of lingual morbidity and the facial functional results were constant and satisfactory: there were five patients with House and Brackmann Grade III and one with Grade IV, and their mean percentage of facial mobility was 43.3%.

1995 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 559-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomio Sasaki ◽  
Makoto Taniguchi ◽  
Ichiro Suzuki ◽  
Takaaki Kirino

✓ The authors report a new technique for en bloc petrosectomy using a Gigli saw as an alternative to drilling the petrous bone in the combined supra- and infratentorial approach or the transpetrosal—transtentorial approach. It is simple and easy and avoids postoperative cosmetic deformity. This technique has been performed in 11 petroclival lesions without injuring the semicircular canals, the cochlea, or the facial nerve.


1975 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 608-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Isamat ◽  
Federico Bartumeus ◽  
Antonio M. Miranda ◽  
Jaime Prat ◽  
Luis C. Pons

✓ Three cases of neurinomas of the facial nerve are reported. Two of them originated from the labyrinthine portion of the nerve and the other from the vertical portion. Neurinomas of the first part of the facial nerve can be suspected preoperatively since they seem to give rise to specific clinical and radiological manifestations that can be distinguished from tumors of other portions of the nerve, the petrous bone area, or the cerebellopontine angle. The reported cases of neurinomas of the facial nerve are reviewed and analyzed.


1992 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 724-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis F. Pitty ◽  
Charles H. Tator

✓ Hypoglossal-facial nerve anastomosis is one of the procedures frequently performed to restore function after facial palsy secondary to surgery for removal of cerebellopontine angle tumors. The published results of hypoglossal-facial nerve anastomosis have been variable, and there are still questions about the indications, timing, and surgical techniques for this procedure. The goals of the present retrospective analysis of 22 cases of hypoglossal-facial nerve anastomosis were to assess the extent of the functional recovery and to analyze the factors affecting this recovery. The 22 cases of complete facial palsy were gleaned from a series of 245 cases of cerebellopontine angle tumors treated surgically by one of the authors. Twenty patients had an acoustic neuroma (average size 3.5 cm), one patient had a petrous meningioma, and one patient had a facial neuroma. The average age of the patients was 47.3 years (range 19 to 69 years). The average interval from tumor surgery to hypoglossal-facial nerve anastomosis was 6.4 months (range 12 days to 17 months), and the average follow-up period after the procedure was 65 months. The results were graded as good, fair, poor, or failure according to a new method of classifying facial nerve function after hypoglossal-facial nerve anastomosis. The results were good in 14 cases (63.6%), fair in three (13.6%), and poor in four (18.2%); one (4.5%) was a failure. Good and fair results occurred with higher frequency in younger patients who were operated on within shorter intervals, although these relationships were not statistically significant. There were no surgical complications. Good or fair results were achieved in 17 (77.3%) of the 22 cases, and thus hypoglossal-facial nerve anastomosis is considered an effective procedure for most patients with facial palsy after surgery for cerebellopontine angle tumors.


1994 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 1026-1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil J. Patel ◽  
Laligam N. Sekhar ◽  
Stephen P. Cass ◽  
Barry E. Hirsch

✓ Complete resection with conservation of cranial nerves is the primary goal of contemporary surgery for glomus jugulare tumors. This publication reports the value of combined surgical approaches in achieving this goal in 12 patients with extensive tumors. Eleven of these tumors were classified as Fisch Class C and/or D, while eight were categorized as Jackson-Glasscock Grade III or IV. Intracranial (intradural) extension was present in 10 patients; four patients had tumor extension into the clivus and two into the cavernous sinus. The petrous internal carotid artery (ICA) was involved in eight and the vertebral artery (VA) in one. Subtemporal-infratemporal, retrosigmoid, and/or extreme lateral transcondylar approaches were added to the usual transtemporal-infratemporal approach. This improved the exposure, provided early control of the petrous ICA, and facilitated tumor removal from the clivus, cavernous sinus, posterior fossa, and foramen magnum, allowing a single-stage resection in eight patients. Ten patients had a complete microscopic resection with no mortality. The facial nerve was preserved in nine cases, with tumor involvement requiring nerve resection followed by grafting in the remaining three. Mobilization of the facial nerve was avoided in five cases; of these, three had intact function and two had House-Brackmann Grade III function on follow-up review. Only one patient had a mild persistent swallowing difficulty. The ICA was preserved in 10 patients and resected in two, while the VA required reconstruction in one case. There were no instances of stroke, and blood transfusions were required in five patients who had tumors with nonembolizable ICA or VA feeders. While complete resection provides the best possibility for cure, the important role of adjuvant radiation therapy in cases with residual tumor is discussed. The importance of degrees of brain-stem compression and vascular encasement is emphasized in classifying the more extensive tumors.


2001 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 667-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsumi Matsumoto ◽  
Katsuhito Akagi ◽  
Makoto Abekura ◽  
Motohisa Ohkawa ◽  
Osamu Tasaki ◽  
...  

✓ Cosmetic deformities that appear following pterional craniotomy are usually caused by temporal muscle atrophy, injury to the frontotemporal branch of the facial nerve, or bone pits in the craniotomy line. To resolve these problems during pterional craniotomy, an alternative method was developed in which a split myofascial bone flap and a free bone flap are used. The authors have used this method in the treatment of 40 patients over the last 3 years. Excellent cosmetic and functional results have been obtained. This method can provide wide exposure similar to that achieved using Yaşargil's interfascial pterional craniotomy, without limiting the operative field with a bulky temporal muscle flap.


1982 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles H. Tator ◽  
Julian M. Nedzelski

✓ With large acoustic neuromas, the primary goal of surgery is safe total removal of the tumors, and the secondary goal is preservation of nearby neural structures, including the facial nerve. In a series of 15 consecutive patients with large cerebellopontine angle tumors, all of which were more than 2.5 cm in diameter, tumor excision was performed by a one-stage combined middle fossa-translabyrinthine approach. There were 13 acoustic neuromas, 10 of which were more than 4 cm in diameter, one petrous apex meningioma 4 cm in diameter, and one facial neuroma 3 cm in diameter. The tumors were totally removed in all 15 patients. The facial nerve was preserved in 12 of 13 evaluable patients. In the 14th patient the nerve had been transected in a previous suboccipital procedure with incomplete removal, and in the 15th patient the nerve was sutured following excision of a facial neuroma. Thus, the nerve was lost at surgery in only one patient. This combined approach provided very clear visualization of the cerebellopontine angle, including the brain stem and the lower cranial nerves. It enabled identification of both the origin of the facial nerve at the brain stem and the lateral segment of the nerve in the internal auditory canal. Anterior extensions of tumor growing through the tentorial hiatus were easily removed. The results in these 15 patients show that this approach is excellent for total removal of large acoustic neuromas with preservation of the facial nerve. It is especially suitable for large tumors with anterior extensions.


2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 1083-1090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Strauss

Object. Functional results after surgery for acoustic neuromas that have little or no growth within the internal auditory canal are controversial, because these medial tumors can grow to a considerable size within the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) before symptoms occur. Methods. A prospective study was designed to evaluate the surgical implications of the course of the facial nerve within the CPA on medial acoustic neuromas. This study included a consecutive series of 22 patients with medial acoustic neuromas (mean size 32 mm, range 17–52 mm) who underwent surgery via a suboccipitolateral approach between 1997 and 2001. All patients underwent pre- and postoperative magnetic resonance imaging and preoperative electromyography (EMG). Evaluation was based on continuous intraoperative EMG monitoring and video recordings of the procedure. All patients were reevaluated at a mean of 19 months (6–50 months) postsurgery. Preoperative evaluation of facial nerve function revealed House—Brackmann Grade I in six, Grade II in 14, and Grade III in two patients. During surgery a distinct splitting of the nerve at the root exit zone through its intracisternal course was seen in eight patients and documented by selective electrical stimulation. The facial nerve was separated into a smaller portion that ran cranially and parallel to the trigeminal nerve, and a larger portion on the anterior tumor surface. Both components joined anterior to the porus without major spreading of the nerve bundle. In two cases the nerve was found on the posterior surface of the cranial tumor. In one case the facial nerve entered the porus of the canal at its lower part, obtaining the expected anatomical position proximally within the middle portion of the canal. An anterior cranial, middle (five cases each), or caudal course (two cases) was seen in the remaining patients. After surgery, facial nerve function deteriorated in most cases; on follow-up evaluation House—Brackmann Grade I was found in 11, Grades II and III in 10, and Grade V in one patient. Conclusions. The facial nerve requires special attention in surgery for medial acoustic neuromas, because an atypical course of the nerve can be expected in the majority of cases. A split course of the nerve was found in 36% of the cases presented. Meticulous use of intraoperative facial nerve stimulation and continuous monitoring ensures facial nerve integrity and offers good functional results in patients with medial acoustic neuromas.


1977 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Matsumura ◽  
Yasumasa Makita ◽  
Kuniyuki Someda ◽  
Akinori Kondo

✓ We have operated on 12 of 14 cases of arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the posterior fossa since 1968, with one death. The lesions were in the cerebellum in 10 cases (three anteromedial, one central, three lateral, and three posteromedial), and in the cerebellopontine angle in two; in two cases the lesions were directly related to the brain stem. The AVM's in the anterior part of the cerebellum were operated on through a transtentorial occipital approach.


1971 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jans Muller ◽  
John Mealey

✓ A solid, extrinsic hemangiopericytoma of the cerebellopontine angle was studied histologically and by means of tissue culture. The explanted tumor cells formed classic meningiomatous whorls indicative of the meningeal derivation of this neoplasm. Whorls were entirely absent in the histological preparations, however. The cases reported under the diagnosis of intracranial hemangiopericytoma and angioblastic meningioma have been reviewed; no valid histological distinction between these two types could be made.


2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tateru Shiraishi

✓ The author describes a new technique for exposure of the cervical spine laminae in which the attachments of the semispinalis cervicis and multifidus muscles to the spinous processes are left untouched. It provides a conservative exposure through which a diverse range of posterior cervical surgeries can be performed. In contrast to conventional cervical approaches, none of the muscular attachments to the spinous processes is compromised. In this paper the author describes the technical details and discusses the applications of the procedure.


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