A SKULL BASE EXTRADURAL HYPOGLOSSAL NEURILEMOMA RESECTED VIA AN EXTENDED POSTEROLATERAL APPROACH

The case of a 43-year-old man with a right skull base hypoglossal neur ilemmoma excised via the extended posterolateral approach is presented . There is only one previous case of hypoglossal neurilemmoma in the l iterature. The surgical technique described is a new approach to the p osterior skull base involving a suboccipital craniectomy, mastoidectom y and the removal of the lateral process of the atlas. It provides an inferior approach to the jugular foramen and hypoglossal canal that al lows the lower cranial nerves to be identified as they exit from their skull base foraminae. In the discussion we compare this technique to other surgical approaches previously described for access to the regio n of the jugular foramen.