OBJECTIVETo investigate the indications of the pretemporal transcavernous approach for cavernous sinus tumors resection and design individually tailored surgery according to the extent of tumors and operation requirements.

METHODSA retrospective analysis of clinical data, surgical outcomes and complications in a series of 31 cases with cavernous sinus tumor operated via the individually tailored pretemporal transcavernous approach between May 2012 and September 2015 in Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University. There were 13 male and 18 female patients, aging from 17 to 67 years with a mean of (41±14) years. The patients included 18 cases of shwannomas, 4 cases of meningiomas, 3 cases of cavernous hemangiomas, 2 cases of invasive pituitary adenomas, 1 case of chordoma, 1 case of chondroma, 1 case of recurrent teratoma, 1 case of metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The first followed-up visit was on the 3(rd) month after surgery, and if tumor progression or recurrence was observed on MRI, the Gamma knife treatment was recommended, the patient was followed up every 6 months, otherwise the patient was followed up again 6 months later, then, every 12 months.

RESULTSGross total removal of tumors was achieved in 22 cases of 31 patients (71.0%), containing 17 cases of shwannomas, 3 cases of hemangiomas, 1 case of chondroma, 1 case of teratoma; subtotal removal in 6 cases (19.3%), including 3 cases of meningiomas, 1 case of pituitary adenoma, 1 case of chordoma, 1 case of metastatic carcinoma; partial removal in 3 cases (9.7%), comprising 1 case of meningioma, 1 case of recurrent shwannoma, 1 case of recurrent pituitary adenoma. The symptoms of cranial never aggravated in 5 cases, the new postoperative cranial never palsy was observed in 7 cases. There was no surgical mortality, intracranial hematoma, intracranial infection and cerebrospinal fluid leakage cases, ect. Twenty-eight cases were followed up for more than 3 months (3 to 40 months), 1 case of chordoma had tumor progression; the nerve function was restored in 5 cases, among the 12 cases with postoperatively new occurred or deteriorated cranial nerve paralysis.

CONCLUSIONSThe pretemporal transcavernous approach can be used to resect tumors limited in cavernous sinus or tumors simultaneously involving the cavernous sinus and its vicinity areas, it can be individually tailored based on the extent and exposure of the tumor. This approach can improve the surgical results in terms of high tumor resection rate, less complication, is an ideal approach for cavernous sinus tumor resection.