Dr Jho's Lateral Approach to the Craniocervical Junction: Surgery for Meningiomas, Brain Tumors, Cerebral Aneurysms: Minimally Invasive Skull Base Surgery
Home: Dr. Jho's Innovative Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery for Spine and Brain Disorders
Through a three-inch straight skin incision at the side of the upper neck, tumors at the craniocervical junction are approached in a minimally invasive technique. A bone window is made at the strategic access point to the tumors or aneurysms without unnecessary dissection or destruction of the anatomical structures. These modified techniques help to speed up patients' postoperative recovery with lesser discomfort in addition to effective eradication of the lesion.
Images
Preoperative MRI scans, with axial view (left) and sagittal view (right) show a meningioma located at the patient's craniocervical junction.
Photographs taken during surgery demonstrate lateral approach to tumor seen on above MRI. The tumor is exposed (left), and the tumor has been completely excised revealing a frontal view of the cervicomedullary junction (right, arrows).
Postoperative MRI scans, axial view (left), and sagittal view (right), confirm complete resection of the tumor.
A postoperative patient photograph showing the 5-cm-long skin incision utilized in lateral approach.