Dorsal approaches to intradural extramedullary tumors of the craniovertebral junction

Tumors of the craniovertebral junction (CVJ) pose significant challenges to cranial and spine surgeons. Familiarity with the complex anatomy and avoidance of injury to neurologic and vascular structures are essential to success. Multiple surgical approaches to address lesions at the CVJ have been pr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of craniovertebral junction and spine 2010-01, Vol.1 (1), p.49-54
Main Authors: Refai, Daniel, Shin, John H, Iannotti, Christopher, Benzel, Edward C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Anatomy
Care and treatment
Craniovertebral junction
Cysts
dorsal
dorsolateral
Nervous system
Nervous system tumors
Original
Pathology
Physiological aspects
Prognosis
Surgery
surgical approach
tumor
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Tumors of the craniovertebral junction (CVJ) pose significant challenges to cranial and spine surgeons. Familiarity with the complex anatomy and avoidance of injury to neurologic and vascular structures are essential to success. Multiple surgical approaches to address lesions at the CVJ have been promoted, including ventral and dorsal-based trajectories. However, optimal selection of the surgical vector to manage the pathology requires a firm understanding of the limitations and advantages of each approach. The selection of the best surgical trajectory must include several factors, such as obtaining the optimal exposure of the region of interest, avoiding injury to critical neurologic or vascular structures, identification of normal anatomical landmarks, the familiarity and comfort level of the surgeon to the approach, and the need for fixation. This review article focuses on dorsal approaches to the CVJ and the advantages and limitations in managing intradural extramedullary tumors.
ISSN:0974-8237
0976-9285
DOI:10.4103/0974-8237.65482