Carotid and cranial nerve reconstruction after removal of cavernous sinus lesions.

During the last 7 years, approximately 170 neoplasms, and 35 vascular lesions involving the cavernous sinus were treated by the first two authors. During the treatment of such lesions, the direct vein graft reconstruction of the internal carotid artery from the petrous to the supraclinoid or infraclinoid ICA was performed in 23 patients. Graft occlusion occurred in 3 patients and in one of these, it was successfully salvaged by placing a long venous graft from the extracranial ICA to the M3 segment of the middle cerebral artery. The latter 3 patients were neurologically normal. One patient with significant atherosclerotic disease suffered the dissection of the distal internal carotid artery with the graft being patent. The suturing technique. This patient eventually died. Two patients with severely compromised collateral circulation suffered minor strokes due to the temporary occlusion of the ICA. This has been avoided in the more recent patients by the adoption of brain protection techniques such as moderate hypothermia, induced hypertension, and barbiturate coma. Low dose heparin therapy during grafting and high dose intravenous steroids prior to the grafting also appear to be beneficial. Direct vein graft reconstruction of the intracavernous carotid artery is a valuable tool during the management of cavernous sinus lesions. The advantages and disadvantages of this technique as well as the pros and cons of other revascularization techniques will be discussed. During microsurgical removal of cavernous sinus lesions, the cranial nerves III-VI were reconstructed by direct resuture or by nerve grafting in 16 patients. In the majority of these patients, recovery of cranial nerve function was observed, which was very encouraging.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The results of surgery for benign tumors of the cavernous sinus.

CAVERNOUS SINUS SURGERY has been performed increasingly in the last 2 decades because of new knowledge and technologies. With increasing international expertise in cavernous sinus surgery, the results must be analyzed critically to search for accurate prognosticators of outcome. We performed a retrospective review of 124 patients (40 male, 84 female; mean age, 45 years) who underwent cavernous sinus surgery for benign tumors from 1983 to 1992. Sixty-five percent had tumors encasing the internal carotid artery. Mean follow-up was 29 months (median, 26 mo). Gross total or near-total resection was possible in 80%. Patients with neurilemomas, angiofibromas, epidermoids, chondroblastomas, and hemangiomas were more likely to have total or near-total resection (100% versus 75%, P < 0.025). Disabling complications (five cerebral infarctions, two meningitis, and one hydrocephalus with chiasmal prolapse) occurred only in patients with meningiomas or pituitary adenomas. On follow-up, excellent/good binocular vision was achieved in 53% of patients entering surgery with excellent/good function versus 25% who entered surgery with fair/poor binocular vision (P < 0.025). Ninety-three percent of patients had a Karnofsky score > or = 70 on follow-up. There were a total of 12 recurrences (10%), 6 in patients with meningiomas, 2 in patients with angiofibromas, 2 in patients with craniopharyngiomas, 1 in a patient with a pituitary adenoma, and 1 in a patient with an osteoblastoma. Patients with tumor growth or neurological symptoms indicative of progressive cavernous sinus involvement should undergo cavernous sinus exploration. This surgery has acceptable morbidity and mortality and, if the tumor can be removed easily, the surgeon should try to perform radical tumor resection. To avoid major complications, the surgeon must exercise utmost care to preserve the neurovascular structures of the cavernous sinus, with special attention to tumors that extend into the petroclival region. Better results from surgery can be expected in those patients with neurilemomas, hemangiomas, or epidermoids than in patients with meningiomas, craniopharyngiomas, or pituitary adenomas. Good functional outcome can be expected, particularly if the patient's preoperative clinical status is good. Particular attention must be paid to the reconstruction of anatomic barriers in order to prevent cerebrospinal fluid leakage and subsequent meningitis.

Reconstruction of the third through sixth cranial nerves during cavernous sinus surgery.

Sixteen reconstruction procedures of the third through sixth cranial nerves were carried out in 14 patients during operations on 149 tumors involving the cavernous sinus. A direct end-to-end anastomosis was performed in five nerves, whereas in 11 cases the nerve stumps were bridged by means of an interposing nerve graft. The sixth cranial nerve was most frequently reconstructed (nine cases). In four cases, the fifth nerve or root was repaired. The third nerve was reconstructed in two patients, and the fourth nerve was repaired in only one case. Recovery of function, either partial or complete, was observed in 13 nerves: the third in two instances, the fourth in one, the fifth in three, and the sixth in seven. No return of function occurred in three nerves. In patients with a successful recovery of cranial nerve function, either binocular function or the cosmetic result was improved. These results suggest that repair of the third through sixth cranial nerves injured during surgery should be pursued in suitable patients.

Long-term outcome after operation for trigeminal neuralgia in patients with posterior fossa tumors.

During a 20-year period, 26 patients with typical symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia were found to have posterior fossa tumors at operation. These cases included 14 meningiomas, eight acoustic neurinomas, two epidermoid tumors, one angiolipoma, and one ependymoma. The median patient age was 60 years and 69% of the patients were women. Sixty-five percent of the symptoms were left sided. The median preoperative duration of symptoms was 5 years. The distribution of pain among the three divisions of the trigeminal nerve was similar to that found in patients with trigeminal neuralgia who did not have tumors; however, more divisions tended to be involved in the tumor patients. The mean postoperative follow-up period was 9 years. At operation, the root entry zone of the trigeminal nerve was examined for vascular cross-compression in 21 patients. Vessels compressing the nerve at the root entry zone were observed in all patients examined. Postoperative pain relief was frequent and long lasting. Using Kaplan-Meier methods the authors estimated excellent relief in 81% of the patients 10 years postoperatively, with partial relief in an additional 4%.

Cavernous sinus tumors: neuroradiologic and neurosurgical considerations on 150 operated cases.

We reviewed the neuroimaging studies of 150 patients with cavernous sinus tumors operated on during an 8-year period. Meningiomas (66 cases), chordomas (18 cases), trigeminal neurolemmomas (12 cases), and chondrosarcomas (11 cases) were the most common diagnosed neoplasms. Neuroradiological findings are briefly described for each different kind of tumor encountered. The surgical impact of these findings is discussed.

Chordomas and chondrosarcomas involving the cavernous sinus: review of surgical treatment and outcome in 31 patients.

During the last 9 years, 31 patients with chordomas (20 cases) and chondrosarcomas (11 cases) involving the cavernous sinus have been treated using an aggressive surgical approach. On the basis of postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 17 patients were considered to have undergone total removal, whereas in the remaining 14 cases the tumor was either subtotally or partially removed. Surgical complications were most commonly encountered among patients who had undergone previous operations. One patient died 3 months after the operation as a result of pulmonary embolism. Significant disability occurred in one patient because of thalamic perforator occlusion and hemorrhage. Recovery of extraocular muscle function was gratifying, and correlated to the preoperative functional level. After a median follow-up of 24 months, three recurrences (21%) occurred among the 14 patients who had undergone incomplete removal. No recurrence was observed among the 17 patients with total resection. This experience shows that gross radical removal of chordomas and chondrosarcomas involving the cavernous sinus can be accomplished with an acceptable surgical morbidity. However, much longer follow-up will be required to determine whether such aggressive surgical treatment results in cure or long-term control of these neoplasms.

Prediction of delayed cerebral ischaemia after subarachnoid haemorrhage by computed tomography.

Computed tomography was performed in 100 patients within 4 days of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. The CT appearances have been divided into five grades by the thickness and extent of the subarachnoid blood. Delayed cerebral ischaemia occurred in 62.5% of patients with most blood on CT, in 33.3% of those in the next grade and in none of the other grades with less amounts of blood. The outcome from delayed ischaemia was worse in those with most CT blood.

Paraseller meningiomas: incidence of involvement of extracavernous structures as determined by magnetic resonance and computed tomography.

Parasellar meningiomas frequently extend beyond the cavernous sinus into adjacent structures. In order to determine the incidence of involvement of adjacent sites, we retrospectively evaluated the computed tomography and nuclear magnetic resonance scans of 65 consecutive patients with meningiomas invading the cavernous sinus. Thirteen nearby anatomic sites were analyzed for tumor involvement. The sites most frequently involved were the lateral sphenoid sinus wall (93%), the ipsilateral petrous apex (70%), the ipsilateral posterior petrous bone surface (59%), the sella (59%), the intracranial clival surface (44%), and the suprasellar cistern (41%). The sella, clival bone marrow, orbital apex, pterygopalatine fossa, and prestyloid parapharyngeal space were more commonly involved in recurrent tumors. Lesions were also subdivided into five groups according to whether or not they involved only one part of the cavernous sinus (grade 1), two parts of the cavernous sinus (grade 2), surrounded the cavernous carotid artery (grade 3), surrounded and narrowed the cavernous carotid artery (grade 4), or involved both sides of the cavernous sinus (grade 5). Among the 63 cases that could be assigned to a category, seven were grade 1 lesions, 13 were grade 2, 13 were grade 3, 16 were grade 4, and 14 were grade 5. Tumor grade is helpful in predicting the difficulty of resection of the cavernous component of the tumor. The incidence of involvement of adjacent sites is also helpful in assessment of imaging studies and in planning the most appropriate surgical approach.

Meningiomas involving the cavernous sinus: value of imaging for predicting surgical complications.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine if it is possible to predict complications of surgery on cavernous sinus meningiomas on the basis of preoperative MR and CT findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the CT, MR, and postoperative clinical findings in 65 consecutive patients with pathologically proved cavernous sinus meningiomas who had surgery during the period 1985-1991. Tumors were categorized on the basis of their relationship to the cavernous carotid artery. The presence of tumor in three anatomic sites (the sella, the sphenoid sinus, and the orbital apex) was also correlated with surgical complications. RESULTS: Category 1 tumors, which do not completely encircle the cavernous carotid artery, were dissected without injury, sacrifice, or grafting of the artery in 91% of cases. Category 2 lesions completely encircle the artery but do not narrow its lumen; they could be dissected from the cavernous carotid artery without arterial injury in 61% of cases, but imaging failed to discriminate differences within this group. Category 3 lesions, which completely encircle and narrow the cavernous carotid artery, are usually difficult to dissect free from the artery. The categories also correlated with recovery of extraocular motility; 84% of category 1 lesions compared with only 36% of category 2 or 3 lesions will recover to good or excellent extraocular motility after cavernous sinus surgery. Tumor involvement of the sella, orbital apex, and sphenoid sinus correlated with postoperative endocrine dysfunction, decreased visual acuity, and CSF leak, respectively. CONCLUSION: Imaging studies can frequently predict the difficulty of resecting cavernous sinus meningiomas from the cavernous carotid artery and the likelihood of permanent loss of extraocular motility after surgery on these lesions. This information is helpful in appropriate preoperative planning and in providing information to patients about to undergo such surgery.