Published in:
01-04-2007 | Invited Paper
Corridor surgery: the current paradigm for skull base surgery
Published in: Child's Nervous System | Issue 4/2007
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Introduction
Clival chordomas are rare tumors, especially in the pediatric population. In this report, we present the case of a 3-year-old boy who was found to have a large posterior pharyngeal, clival, and posterior fossa tumor detected on a CT scan after a closed head injury.
Discussion
Further questioning revealed a history of ataxia and dysphagia. Imaging confirmed severe extrinsic brain stem compression. The tumor was resected in multiple stages utilizing a minimally invasive endoscopic endonasal technique along with open transfacetal, transcondylar approach through the carotid–vertebral window. The child suffered no permanent complications as a result of our treatment and his dysphagia significantly improved. Although a complete resection was not feasible due to vascular encasement by the tumor, extensive decompression was obtained with minimal morbidity.
Conclusion
We present this case to illustrate a new paradigm of skull base surgical approaches for large clival lesions in pediatric patients that allows aggressive resection with minimal morbidity.