Modified Far Lateral Approach to the Ventral Foramen Magnum and Craniocervical Junction: Surgical Results in 35 Cases

Introduction: Tumors at the craniocervical junction (CCJ) represent a challenge due to their association with the medulla and cervical spinal cord, lower cranial nerves, and vertebral artery (VA). We present a modified far lateral approach for resection of lesion involving the CCJ.

Methods: Patients who underwent a modified far lateral approach were enrolled in the study during the period 2017 to 2024. Preoperative, operative, and postoperative data were retrospectively collected from a prospectively maintained electronic database and analyzed.

Results: Thirty-five cases were included in the study. Thirty-three tumor cases were included with foramen magnum and jugular tubercle meningioma being the most observed in our series (n = 19, n = 5). Gross total resection was achieved in 30 cases (90.9%). The overall complication rate was 25%. 1 patient required permanent feeding tube. Surgical complications that were observed in our series included pseudomeningiocele formation in one patient (2.8%). We had no documented cases of CSF leak postoperatively.

Conclusion The: Modified far lateral approach showed excellent surgical outcomes in our series.

 

Scroll to top

No conflict of interest has been declared by the author(s).

Publication History

Article published online:
07 February 2025