Jugular Fossa Lesions

lar foramen. It lodges the jugular bulb, which continues into the jugular vein inferiorly (Fig. 1). In the neurosurgical literature, and even in extensive anatomic studies, both the jugular foramen and the jugular fossa often are referred to by the term "jugular foramen." This use of the term may be the result either of simple error or the user's wish to provide a broader anatomic description of the area, and this confusion may be the underlying reason for the current lack of agreement regarding the internal anatomic organization of "the jugular foramen." Regardless of the reason for this mix-up, the jugular foramen and the jugular fossa are two distinct anatomic formations, although they are intimately related. The treatment of jugular fossa lesions has been revolutionized by the development of modern diagnostic modalities, refinement of microsurgical techniques, publication of microsurgical anatomic studies, development of skull base approaches, advances in neuroanesthesia and intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring, and careful multidisciplinary perioperative planning. These lesions now are treated with radical resection, and the rates of permanent surgical morbidities or mortalities are low.