Trigeminal Neurinomas: A Review of a Personal Series

Trigeminal neurinomas are relatively rare tumors and represent 0.2% of all intracranial tumors. (1–12) Trigeminal neurinomas usually arise from the Schwann cells of the sensory root and can originate in any section of the fifth cranial nerve; correspondingly, a variety of symptoms and signs may develop. Improved surgical outcome and long-term growth control have been uniformly reported after the improvement in diagnosis and understanding of the anatomical intricacies of the tumor and advancement in the skull base operative techniques. (13–21) Jefferson (6) presented a classification scheme for trigeminal schwannomas that categorized these tumors according to location. Three distinct types are: middle fossa type (type A); posterior fossa root type (type B), where the tumor is in front of the brainstem; and dumbbell-shaped type with both middle and posterior fossa components (type C). Trigeminal Neurinomas: A Review of a Personal Series Atul Goel Department of Neurosurgery, King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College, Parel, Mumbai