Exclusive endoscopic transcanal approach to lateral skull base lesions:Institutional experience of 3 cases

Introduction:Majority of petrous bone and lateral skull base pathologies are benign in nature.The complex anatomy usually warrants an extensive approach with associated morbidity.Case summary:Two cases of petrous bone cholesteatoma(1 congenital cholesteatoma with facial palsy and 1 acquired cholesteatoma)and a case of glomus tympanicum were treated with exclusive endoscopic transcanal approach.The cases of petrous cholesteatoma were addressed with trans-promontorial and infra-cochlear approaches.The mean operative time was approximately 140 min.No CSF otorrhoea was noticed in the post-operative period.The average period of hospital stay was 3.7 days.Conclusion:In the subset of cases with limited benign disease an endoscopic trans-canal approach is a better alternative to an external approach.It decreases operative time,blood loss,chance of meningitis,morbidity and hospital stay.The lack of depth perception is a major hurdle which can be come over by experience in endoscopic middle ear surgery.This approach can create direct access to cochlea/petrous apex/internal auditory canal(IAC)/Supra-geniculate ganglion region.

Transcanal endoscopic assisted skull base endolymphatic sac tumor resection: A rare disease with advanced technology

Endolymphatic sac tumors(ELSTs) are rare, papillary adenomatous tumors that arise from the endothelium of the endolymphatic sac. We demonstrate a difficult case of endolymphatic sac tumor and how it is managed via transcanal endoscopic assisted technique, with discussion of feasibility of transcanal approach to lateral skull base tumor.

Postoperative infection of the skull base surgical site due to suppurative parotitis:A case report

BACKGROUND Paraganglioma occurring at the lateral skull base is a rare tumor.Surgery is the primary treatment of benign paragangliomas.Postoperative infection of the surgical site at the lateral skull base is very dangerous and hard to manage.CASE SUMMARY A 30-year-old man with a 1-year history of left-side progressive hearing loss,tinnitus,facial palsy,and choking failed conventional treatment and is the focus of this case report.Imaging revealed a mass around the left jugular foramen that was approximately 47 mm×38 mm×34 mm in size and had eroded the bone of the vertebral and horizontal segments of the internal carotid artery.The tumor breached the meninges and occupied the cerebella pontine region.A two-stage surgery was designed for the resection of the mass.In the first-stage,the epidural portion of the mass was removed.The abdominal fat and the temporal muscle flap were transposed within the surgical site.The surgery was successful;however,25 d after surgery,he developed suppurative parotitis,and the infection spread to the surgical site at the skull base.Broad-spectrum antibiotics were used,and debridement was deployed.After that,the wound was cleaned daily.Five months after the first-stage surgery,the wound was still unclosed,and there was intermittent purulent exudation within the surgical site.vacuum sealing drainage(VSD)was used,and the wound healed in a month.One year after the first surgery,the second-stage of the operation was performed to remove the intracranial portion of the tumor.Recurrence of the tumor was not detected after a 6-month follow-up.CONCLUSION After a lateral skull base surgery,suppurative parotitis can spread into the operative cavity leading to infection of the surgical site.VSD can help to effectively heal the infected wound.A two-stage surgical approach offers a safer option for removing the lateral skull base paraganglioma that involves the meninges.