Indocyanine Green Videoangiography in Negative: Spinal Dural Arteriovenous Fistula.

Introduction This work reports the first indocyanine green videoangiography (IGV) in negative published with video format support. This technique, so called because its first phase is performed with occlusion of the vessel suspected of being pathologic, is used for the diagnosis of spinal arteriovenous fistula (sDAVF). Case Report The authors present the case of a 68-year-old man with an sDAVF fed by the right T7 segmentary artery. IGV was initially performed with the presumptive fistula feeder occluded for less than 1 minute, which provided both diagnostic and postexclusion control in one procedure. This technique therefore is reversible by not prolonging vascular exclusion times. Discussion IGV in negative is an extremely visual and intuitive procedure that represents an improvement over conventional IGV. Conclusion Studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to determine whether IGV in negative can further reduce the need for postoperative digital subtraction angiography.

Indocyanine green videoangiography methodological variations: review.

Indocyanine green videoangiography (ICGVA) procedures have become widespread within the spectrum of microsurgical techniques for neurovascular pathologies. We have conducted a review to identify and assess the impact of all of the methodological variations of conventional ICGVA applied in the field of neurovascular pathology that have been published to date in the English literature. A total of 18 studies were included in this review, identifying four primary methodological variants compared to conventional ICGVA: techniques based on the transient occlusion, intra-arterial ICG administration via catheters, use of endoscope system with a filter to collect florescence of ICG, and quantitative fluorescence analysis. These variants offer some possibilities for resolving the limitations of the conventional technique (first, the vascular structure to be analyzed must be exposed and second, vascular filling with ICG follows an additive pattern) and allow qualitatively superior information to be obtained during surgery. Advantages and disadvantages of each procedure are discussed. More case studies with a greater number of patients are needed to compare the different procedures with their gold standard, in order to establish these results consistently.

Respuesta de los autores a «Fístulas durales arteriovenosas intracraneales. Experiencia con 81 casos y revisión de la literatura», de Igor Paredes et al. / Author’s reply “Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulae. Experience after 81 cases and literature review”, by Igor Paredes et al

No disponible

Full endoscopic endonasal extreme far-medial approach: Eustachian tube transposition.

The complex anatomical relationships within the skull base have been described from an endoscopic point of view. However, systematic surgical, not just anatomical, management of the eustachian tube (ET) and the approach to the styloid and parapharyngeal spaces have not yet been described. The authors describe the full endoscopic endonasal extreme far-medial approach used in their surgical practice and show how they applied it to a case. To the authors' knowledge, from a strictly surgical viewpoint, this work is the first to describe a fundamental endonasal approach to the inferior clivus, the condylar and tubercular compartments, the prestyloid and poststyloid spaces, and ET transposition to expose the aforementioned structures without disrupting the ET. For lesions with mediolateral growth patterns, the authors consider the extreme far-medial approach to be superior to the pure transmaxillary approach. Additional cases and more evidence are needed to refine this surgical technique.

Indocyanine green videoangiography "in negative": definition and usefulness in intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulae.

BACKGROUND: Indocyanine green videoangiography (IGV) raises important limitations when we use it in vascular pathology, especially in cases with arterialization of the venous system such as arteriovenous malformations and fistulae. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to provide a simple procedure that overcomes the limitations of conventional IGV. We define IGV in negative (IGV-IN), so-called because, in its first phase, the vessel to analyze is clipped, and we report 3 cases of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulae treated with this procedure. METHODS: In 2011, we applied IGV-IN to 3 patients at our center with Borden type III intracranial arteriovenous fistulae. RESULTS: In all 3 cases, IGV-IN enabled both diagnosis and post-dural arteriovenous fistula exclusion control in 1 integrated procedure no longer than 1 minute, requiring only 1 visualization. CONCLUSION: IGV-IN is an improvement over the conventional IGV method and is able to provide more information in a shorter period of time. It is an intuitive and highly visual procedure, and, more importantly, it is reversible. Studies with larger samples are necessary to determine whether IGV-IN can further reduce the need for postoperative digital subtraction angiography.

Estesioneuroblastoma. Abordaje endonasal expandido transcribiforme-transfovea etmoidalis. Nota técnica / No disponible

Introducción A propósito de un caso de estesioneuroblastoma, nuestros objetivos son mostrar que los abordajes endonasales expandidos (AEE) pueden ser una técnica quirúrgica segura y eficaz para la resección de neoplasias malignas de la base del cráneo anterior y realizar una revisión bibliográfica de la literatura inglesa disponible a este respecto. Caso clínico Paciente mujer de 65 años con historia de anosmia y deterioro cognitivo. Las pruebas de imagen evidencian una gran tumoración que afecta a la cavidad nasal y compromete la base del cráneo anterior, sugestiva de tumor nasosinusal maligno con afectación intracraneal. Se realiza un abordaje endonasal expandido transcribiforme-transfovea etmoidalis consiguiendo una resección completa con márgenes libres de enfermedad. El tratamiento se complementó con radioterapia. Discusión La resección craneofacial clásica consigue la exéresis de las patologías nasosinusales malignas, incluso cuando involucran la cavidad intracraneal, a la vez de permitir la reconstrucción de la base craneal, independizando el espacio subaracnoideo. El avance de (..) (AU)

[Esthesioneuroblastoma. Transcribiform-transfovea ethmoidalis endonasal expanded approach. Technical note]. / Estesioneuroblastoma. Abordaje endonasal expandido transcribiforme-transfovea etmoidalis. Nota técnica.

INTRODUCTION: We report a fully endoscopic transcribiform-transfovea ethmoidalis endonasal expanded approach (EEA) for the treatment of esthesioneuroblastoma and review the literature about this entity available in English, establishing a precise surgical technique and describing our intraoperative experience. CASE REPORT: Our patient was a 65-year old female with anosmia and cognitive deterioration. Cranial MRI showed a large tumoral lesion with solid and cystic components involving the nasal cavity, with diagnostic suspicion of intracranial malignant sinonasal tumour. The patient underwent a fully endoscopic transcribiform-transfovea ethmoidalis EEA, achieving total resection and tumour-free margins. Surgery was followed by radiotherapy. DISCUSSION: Craniofacial resection enables total removal of sinonasal malignancies, even when the intracranial cavity is involved, and allows for subarachnoid space isolation from the nasal cavity. New advances in endoscopic skull base surgery have achieved comparable oncological results and sufficient reconstructive capacity, leading to less morbidity and better tolerance. CONCLUSION: EEA may become the first treatment option for skull base malignancies in an immediate future, provided that the anatomical limits of the extended approach are not exceeded by the lesion.

[Transpterygoid expanded endonasal approach in fibrous dysplasia of the skull base: case report and technical note]. / Abordaje endonasal expandido transpterigoideo en la displasia fibrosa de base de cráneo: caso clínico y nota técnica.

INTRODUCTION: Expanded endonasal approaches (EEA) are becoming a first-level technique for the treatment of skull base pathologies. In some cases, the endoscopic procedures make it possible to dissect structures manipulated with greater difficulty in the classic approaches. We report a full endoscopic transpterygoid EEA for the treatment of a fibrous dysplasia (FD) of the skull base. In addition, we reviewed the English literature available on FD and transpterygoid EEA, establishing an exact surgical technique and showing our intraoperative experience. CASE REPORT: A 42-year-old male with right sixth cranial nerve palsy. Cranial MRI and CT showed a central skull base lesion with diagnostic suspicion of FD. Patient underwent a full endoscopic transpterygoid EEA, achieving a wide skull base neurovascular decompression. Neuronavigation and the vidian canal landmark resulted mandatory during intraoperative procedure. DISCUSSION: The transpterygoid EEA is a safe technique consistently supported in the literature. It may reduce the morbidity associated to the classic transcranial approaches, since it permits maximum resection with minimum craniofacial distortion. The vidian hole and canal are the landmarks used to locate and avoid injury to the lacerum segment of the carotid injury. The surgical treatment indication in FD cases must be established in symptomatic patients. CONCLUSION: Transpterygoid EEA for treatment of FD of the skull base is a safe and effective procedure, thanks to the guide that the vidian canal provides in finding the lacerum segment of the carotid artery.

Abordaje endonasal expandido transpterigoideo en la displasia fibrosa de base de cráneo: caso clínico y nota técnica / Transpterygoid expanded endonasal approach in fibrous dysplasia of the skull base: case report and technical note

Introducción y objetivo: En los últimos años, los abordajes endonasales expandidos (AEE) se están convirtiendo en una técnica de primer nivel para el tratamiento de diferentes patologías de la base del cráneo. En algunos casos, la endoscopia permite la disección de áreas difícilmente accesibles con los abordajes tradicionales. A propósito de un caso de displasia fibrosa (DF) basicraneal, nuestros objetivos son mostrar como los AEE pueden ser una técnica quirúrgica segura y eficaz para la descompresión de estructuras neurovasculares de la base de cráneo y realizar una revisión bibliográfica de la literatura inglesa disponible respecto a la DF, así como de los AEE transpterigoideos, estableciendo una descripción exacta de la técnica y plasmando nuestra experiencia operatoria en este campo. Caso clínico: Varón de 42 años de edad con paresia del VI par craneal derecho y estudios de imagen mediante resonancia magnética y tomografía computarizada craneales sugestivos de displasia fibrosa esfenoclival. Se lleva a cabo un abordaje endonasal expandido transpterigoideo completamente endoscópico, obteniéndose una amplia descompresión de las estructuras vasculonerviosas de la base del cráneo. Durante el procedimiento se utiliza neuronavegación y el canal vidiano como referencia anatómica fundamental de la carótida en su segmento lacerum. Discusión: El AEE transterigoideo es una técnica segura y con amplio sustento en la literatura científica. En manos adecuadas, podría reducir la morbilidad asociada a los abordajes transcraneales clásicos, ya que permite un máximo potencial resectivo sobre las lesiones a tratar, con una mínima (..) (AU)

Introduction: Expanded endonasal approaches (EEA) are becoming a first-level technique for the treatment of skull base pathologies. In some cases, the endoscopic procedures make it possible to dissect structures manipulated with greater difficulty in the classic approaches. We report a full endoscopic transpterygoid EEA for the treatment of a fibrous dysplasia (FD) of the skull base. In addition, we reviewed the English literature available on FD and transpterygoid EEA, establishing an exact surgical technique and showing our intraoperative experience. Case report: A 42-year-old male with right sixth cranial nerve palsy. Cranial MRI and CT showed a central skull base lesion with diagnostic suspicion of FD. Patient underwent a full endoscopic transpterygoid EEA, achieving a wide skull base neurovascular decompression. Neuronavigation and the vidian canal landmark resulted mandatory during intraoperative procedure. Discussion: The transpterygoid EEA is a safe technique consistently supported in the literature. It may reduce the morbidity associated to the classic transcranial approaches, since it permits maximum resection with minimum craniofacial distortion. The vidian hole and canal are the landmarks used to locate and avoid injury to the lacerum segment of the carotid injury. The surgical treatment indication in FD cases must be established in symptomatic patients. Conclusion: Transpterygoid EEA for treatment of FD of the skull base is a safe and effective procedure, thanks to the guide that the vidian canal provides in finding the lacerum segment of the carotid artery (AU)

Middle turbinate vascularized flap for skull base reconstruction after an expanded endonasal approach.

INTRODUCTION: The expanded endonasal approaches to the skull base are modular approaches that arise from the sphenoidal sinus. The reconstructive techniques in these approaches are key to avoid postoperative complications. Available flaps for reconstruction include the pedicled nasoseptal flap, the transpterygoid temporoparietal fascia flap, and the posterior pedicle inferior turbinate flap (PPITF), among others. Recently, the middle turbinate flap has been described in a cadaveric study. We report our preliminary experience in the use of this middle turbinate vascularized flap for skull base reconstruction after expanded endonasal approaches. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten patients underwent reconstructive procedures with the mucoperiostial vascularized middle turbinate flap. Capability to cover the defect, closure success, operative time and complications related to the procedure are retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: A satisfactory closure was obtained in all procedures, and there were no complications related to the technique. Required operative time was similar to the time employed for the nasoseptal flap. CONCLUSIONS: The vascularized middle turbinate flap is a reliable reconstructive technique for the reconstruction of moderate-sized skull base defects. It can be considered either as the first choice of closure or as an alternative to the nasoseptal flap when this is not available. Different flap combinations may facilitate skull base defect reconstruction.