Skull Base and Parapharyngeal Space Tumors

• Main Authors: Golabek, Wieslaw, Trojanowski, T., Drop, A., Morshed, K.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1531-5010; 1532-0065
• DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-916643

The aim of the study was to evaluate diagnosis and treatment of benign tumors occupying the skull base and parapharyngeal space. The group included 15 patients. Four patients had skull base chordoma that invaded the parapharyngeal space and cranial cavity. In 3 patients jugular bulb paraganglioma occupied also parapharyngeal space. Two patients had juvenile angiofibroma with parapharyngeal and middle fosa extension. Posterior cranial fossa ependymoma in 1 patient invaded the skull base and parapharyngeal space. Vagal schwannoma in 1 patient eroded the pyramid. Trigeminal schwannoma in another patient occupied the cranial cavity, skull base, and parapharyngeal space. CT and MRI clearly showed the location of these tumors, extent of skull base erosion, and high vascularity of some lesions. There were 8 transbasal tumors in the group. All the patients were treated surgically. Six patients were operated on by otolaryngologist and 8 patients had one- or two-stage surgery performed by neurosurgeon and otolaryngologist. Three patients with chordoma and a patient with paraganglioma died. One patient with chordoma and a patient with meningioma live with recurrent disease. Other patients are free of tumor.