Publication at First Faculty of Medicine |
2010
Abstract
Tympanojugular paragangliomas are benign and slow growing lesions of the lateral skull base. Due to their localization and vascularity, they represent a surgical challenge.
We present experience with surgical treatment of 16 patients with large tympanojugular paragangliomas (Fisch B, C and D) in the period of 10 years. Surgical radicality has been achieved in 62.5%, in the rest of patients the tumour remnants were either irradiated with a Leksell gamma knife, or left without treatment in a wait-end-rescan approach.
According to the benign character of the tumour, radicality is not always the highest goal, since a radical removal may be compromised by a high postoperative morbidity (mainly due to lesions of lower cranial nerves).