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Brain Sciences Feb 2024(1) Background: Jugular foramen tumors are complex lesions due to their relationship with critical neurovascular structures within the skull base. It is necessary to... (Review)
Review
(1) Background: Jugular foramen tumors are complex lesions due to their relationship with critical neurovascular structures within the skull base. It is necessary to have a deep knowledge of the anatomy of the jugular foramen and its surroundings to understand each type of tumor growth pattern and how it is related to the surrounding neurovascular structures. This scope aims to provide a guide with the primary surgical approaches to the jugular foramen and familiarize the neurosurgeons with the anatomy of the region. (2) Methods and (3) Results: A comprehensive description of the surgical approaches to jugular foramen tumors is summarized and representative cases for each tumor type is showcased. (4) Conclusions: Each case should be carefully assessed to find the most suitable approach for the patient, allowing the surgeon to remove the tumor with minimal neurovascular damage. The combined transmastoid retro- and infralabyrinthine transjugular transcondylar transtubercular high cervical approach can be performed in a stepwise fashion for the resection of complex jugular foramen tumors.
PubMed: 38391756
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020182 -
Headache Mar 2024Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) is an unusual disorder causing severe, brief pain episodes in the areas supplied by the glossopharyngeal nerve. Initial treatment...
Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) is an unusual disorder causing severe, brief pain episodes in the areas supplied by the glossopharyngeal nerve. Initial treatment involves medications like carbamazepine, but if these are ineffective or cause side effects, interventional pain management techniques or surgery may be considered. Gamma Knife radiosurgery is becoming popular in managing GPN due to its lower risk of complications than surgical interventions like microvascular decompression or rhizotomy. In this retrospective case series, we examined the outcomes of Gamma Knife radiosurgery in eight patients with GPN. The decision to utilize Gamma Knife radiosurgery was made following specific criteria, including failed surgical interventions, patient preference against surgery, or contraindications to surgical procedures. Patients were administered radiation doses within the range of 80 to 90 Gy, targeting either the cisternal glossopharyngeal nerve or glossopharyngeal meatus of the jugular foramen. Evaluations were conducted before the Gamma Knife radiosurgery; at 3, 6, and 12 months after Gamma Knife radiosurgery; and annually thereafter. Pain severity was assessed using the modified Barrow Neurological Institute scale grades, with patients achieving grade I-IIIa considered to have a good treatment outcome and grade IV-V to have a poor treatment outcome. Pain control and absence of radiosurgery-related complications were primary endpoints. The median age of the patients was 46.5 years, varying from 8 to 72 years. The median duration of pain was 32 months (range, 12-120 months). All patients, except one, were on polydrug therapy. All cases exhibited preoperative grade V pain. The median follow-up duration after Gamma Knife radiosurgery was 54.5 months, varying from 14 to 90 months. The overall clinical assessments revealed a gradual neurological improvement, particularly within the first 8.5 weeks (range, 1-12 weeks). The immediate outcomes at 3 months revealed that all patients (8/8, 100%) experienced pain relief, with 25% (2/8) achieving a medication-free status (Grade I). Three patients (37%) experienced a recurrence during the follow-up and were managed with repeat Gamma Knife radiosurgery (n = 2) and radiofrequency rhizotomy (n = 1). At the last follow-up, 88% (7/8) of patients had pain relief (Grades I-IIIa), with three (37%) achieving a medication-free status (Grade I). No adverse events or neurological complications occurred. The patient who underwent radiofrequency rhizotomy continued to experience inadequately controlled pain despite medication (Grade IV). Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a non-invasive, efficacious treatment option for idiopathic GPN, offering short- and long-term relief without permanent complications.
Topics: Humans; Middle Aged; Follow-Up Studies; Radiosurgery; Retrospective Studies; Treatment Outcome; Glossopharyngeal Nerve Diseases; Pain; Trigeminal Neuralgia
PubMed: 38385643
DOI: 10.1111/head.14687 -
Clinical Anatomy (New York, N.Y.) Jul 2024The glossopharyngeal nerve is a complicated and mixed nerve including sensory, motor, parasympathetic, and visceral fibers. It mediates taste, salivation, and... (Review)
Review
The glossopharyngeal nerve is a complicated and mixed nerve including sensory, motor, parasympathetic, and visceral fibers. It mediates taste, salivation, and swallowing. The low cranial nerves, including IXth, Xth, and XIth, are closely related, sharing some nuclei in the brainstem. The glossopharyngeal nerve arises from the spinal trigeminal nucleus and tract, solitary tract and nucleus, nucleus ambiguous, and inferior salivatory nucleus in the brainstem. There are communicating branches forming a neural anastomotic network between low cranial nerves. Comprehensive knowledge of the anatomy of the glossopharyngeal nerve is crucial for performing surgical procedures without significant complications. This review describes the microsurgical anatomy of the glossopharyngeal nerve and illustrates some pictures involving the glossopharyngeal nerve and its connective and neurovascular structures.
Topics: Glossopharyngeal Nerve; Humans; Microsurgery
PubMed: 38380502
DOI: 10.1002/ca.24143 -
Journal of Neurosurgery Feb 2024The angle of exposure (AnE) represents a metric that is particularly useful for analyzing circular bony structures during skull base dissections. The authors aimed to...
The angle of exposure (AnE) represents a metric that is particularly useful for analyzing circular bony structures during skull base dissections. The authors aimed to develop and validate a neuronavigation-based method to measure the AnE. A formula based on vectorial geometry and the coordinates of three points collected with a neuronavigation system was developed to measure the AnE. The method was validated using a plexiglass phantom head. To demonstrate its applicability, the authors measured the AnE in 6 cadaveric specimens after exposure of the hypoglossal canal using a far-medial approach (FMA) and a far-lateral transtubercular approach (FLTA) and in 6 different specimens after exposure of the jugular foramen using an FLTA and a retrosigmoid approach (RSA). The mean angles measured at 45°, 90°, and 180° using a goniometer during the validation test were 44.8° ± 1.1°, 90.8° ± 1.2°, and 179.7° ± 0.8° using the novel formula (p > 0.05). In the first illustrative application, the mean AnEs for the FMA and FLTA were 129° ± 0.9° and 243° ± 1.9°, respectively. In the second scenario, the mean AnEs were 192° ± 1.3° for the FTLA and 143° ± 2.1° for the RSA. The neuronavigation-based technique described is a highly accurate method to measure the AnE.
PubMed: 38364224
DOI: 10.3171/2023.12.JNS232709 -
World Journal of Clinical Cases Feb 2024To date, this is the first case of a paradoxical embolism (PDE) that concurrently manifested in the coronary and lower limb arteries and was secondary to a central...
BACKGROUND
To date, this is the first case of a paradoxical embolism (PDE) that concurrently manifested in the coronary and lower limb arteries and was secondary to a central venous catheter (CVC) thrombus a patent foramen ovale (PFO).
CASE SUMMARY
Here, we report a case of simultaneous coronary and lower limb artery embolism in a PFO patient carrier of a CVC. The patient presented to the hospital with acute chest pain and lower limb fatigue. Doppler ultrasound showed a large thrombus in the right internal jugular vein, precisely at the tip of the CVC. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography confirmed the existence of a PFO, with inducible right-to-left shunting by the Valsalva maneuver. The patient was administered an extended course of anticoagulation therapy, and then the CVC was successfully removed. Percutaneous PFO closure was not undertaken. There was no recurrence during follow-up.
CONCLUSION
Thus, CVC-associated thrombosis is a potential source for multiple PDE in PFO patients.
PubMed: 38322689
DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i4.842 -
Neuro-Chirurgie May 2024An in-depth understanding of the anatomy of the craniocervical junction (CCJ) is indispensable in skull base neurosurgery. In this paper, we discuss the osteology of the... (Review)
Review
An in-depth understanding of the anatomy of the craniocervical junction (CCJ) is indispensable in skull base neurosurgery. In this paper, we discuss the osteology of the occipital bone, the atlas (C1) and axis (C2), the ligaments and the muscle anatomy of the CCJ region and their relationships with the vertebral artery. We will also discuss the trajectory of the vertebral artery and review the anatomy of the jugular foramen and lower cranial nerves (IX to XII). The most important surgical approaches to the CCJ, including the far lateral approach, the anterolateral approach of Bernard George and the endoscopic endonasal approach, will be discussed to review the surgical anatomy.
Topics: Humans; Skull Base; Cervical Atlas; Occipital Bone; Atlanto-Occipital Joint; Vertebral Artery; Neurosurgical Procedures; Cervical Vertebrae; Atlanto-Axial Joint; Cranial Nerves; Axis, Cervical Vertebra
PubMed: 38277861
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuchi.2023.101511 -
Journal of Neurosurgery. Case Lessons Jan 2024As part of the laterotrigeminal venous system (LTVS), the emissary vein of the foramen ovale (EVFO) is an underrecognized venous structure communicating between the...
BACKGROUND
As part of the laterotrigeminal venous system (LTVS), the emissary vein of the foramen ovale (EVFO) is an underrecognized venous structure communicating between the cavernous sinus and pterygoid plexus. The sphenobasal sinus is an anatomical variation of the sphenoparietal sinus that drains directly into the EVFO. The authors present the case of a ruptured arteriovenous malformation (AVM) with a unique drainage pattern through the sphenobasal sinus and EVFO.
OBSERVATIONS
A 9-year-old female initially presented with loss of consciousness and was subsequently found to have a ruptured AVM in the left basal frontal area. She underwent an immediate decompressive hemicraniectomy, with a computed tomography angiogram demonstrating a unique anatomical variation in which the sphenobasal sinus communicated with the EVFO and LTVS. The final venous drainage returned to the pterygoid plexus and external jugular vein. Postoperatively, the patient made a substantial recovery, with generalized right-sided weakness remaining as the sole deficit.
LESSONS
The authors present the case of a ruptured AVM with unique venous drainage into the sphenobasal sinus and EVFO, for which the current literature remains limited. As exemplified by this illustrative case, technique modification may be warranted in the setting of this unique anatomical variation to avoid venous sinus injury.
PubMed: 38224585
DOI: 10.3171/CASE23620