Giant dumbbell-shaped middle cranial fossa trigeminal schwannoma with extension to the infratemporal and posterior fossae

Abstract

We present a 38-year-old female with a giant dumbbell-shaped trigeminal neurinoma originating primarily in the middle cranial fossa, extending to the infratemporal and posterior fossae through the foramen ovale and Meckel's cave, respectively. Because of the large tumour extension into the Infratemporal Fossa, a combined skull base approach (zygomatic infratemporal - transmandibular) was utilised for tumour removal, with a subsequent excellent outcome. An extensive literature review since 1935, revealed 580 cases of surgically treated trigeminal neurinomas. Among these, only three were located in three distinct compartments, making this the rarest developmental pattern for trigeminal neurinomas.