Endoscopic Endonasal Approach to Foramen Magnum Meningioma: Two-Dimensional Surgical Video

Abstract

Even for the most experienced neurosurgeons, foramen magnum meningiomas represent a surgical challenge owing to their delicate position surrounded by the brainstem, lower cranial nerves, and vertebral arteries. The treatment goal is gross total resection, but choosing the most appropriate approach is crucial. Basically, 3 surgical approaches are commonly used: posterolateral approach (far-lateral), anterolateral approach (extreme-lateral), and posterior midline approach. However, over the years, skull base surgery has evolved from standard open craniotomies to the use of microscopes and, more recently, to the development of endoscopic techniques. The endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) permits a direct extradural route without brain retraction and shorter postoperative recovery. In contrast to the oral route, the soft palate and retropharyngeal soft tissues are preserved, allowing patients to resume a regular diet on the first postoperative day. Despite the advantages, the EEA is yet not widely used for treating foramen magnum meningiomas, even in cases where EEA use is possible. The EEA is feasible especially in cases with no vascular encasements and with a limited inferior extension allowing minimal manipulation of lower cranial nerves. Care must be taken with tumors with a more lateral and caudal extension (below the tip of the odontoid process), when a far lateral approach may be the best approach. In this surgical Video 1, we present the surgical details with a stepwise narrative of the EEA for ventrolateral foramen magnum meningiomas through an illustrative case of a 48-year-old woman. Institutional informed consent was obtained for surgery and publication of this video.