Myxomas are rare benign tumors arising from mesenchymal tissues throughout the body. These tumors are usually seen in the atrium of the heart and the jawbone. Involvement of the skull base with intracranial extension is extremely rare, and only a few cases of primary intracranial myxomas have been described in the literature. A rare case of primary myxoma of the temporal bone is presented in th...

Dermoid cysts are rare congenital intracranial tumors. Among these tumors, extradural localization is extremely rare. We report a patient with an extradural dermoid cyst of the right parasellar region, causing right visual disturbance. Computed tomography revealed a hypodense mass lesion with rimlike calcification at the right parasellar region, accompanying marked erosion of the adjacent skull...

INTRODUCTION CyberKnife® radiation is an effective treatment for unresectable skull base tumors because it can deliver a highly conformational dose distribution to the complex shapes of tumor extensions. There have been few reports of severe complications with this treatment. This is the first published case report to our knowledge of cerebrospinal fluid leakage induced by CyberKnife® radiother...

Teratomas are neoplasms composed of tissues from all three germ layers with varying degrees of differentiation. They are most commonly found in the sacrococcygeal and gonadal regions and rarely occur in the head and neck region. A teratoma is termed "epignathus" when it arises from the skull base or hard palate and is located in the oral cavity. The authors describe a case of a giant epignathus...

Traditional skull base techniques utilizing the microscope have allowed surgeons improved safe access to deep-seated lesions. More recent technical advances with the endoscope have allowed improved visibility and access to these previously difficult-to-reach regions. Most current literature emphasizes one technique over the other. We present a unique hybrid-type approach that tackles this not-i...

BACKGROUND To evaluate the efficacy of using a galeopericranial flap for reconstruction of anterior cranial base defects. METHODS In Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from February 1994 to November 2003, 25 patients who had tumors of the skull base underwent craniofacial resection, and a galeopericranial flap was used to reconstruct the anterior cranial base defect. The galeopericranial fla...

Objectives Our laboratory is developing a surgical robotic system to further improve dexterity and visualization that will allow for broader application of transnasal skull base surgery. To optimize this system, intraoperative force data are required. Using a modified curette, force data were recorded and analyzed during pituitary tumor excision. Design A neurosurgical curette was modified by t...

BACKGROUND Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare vascular tumor that frequently occurs in soft tissues. Patients suffer from local recurrence and remote metastasis because of its malignant potential. Here, we present a rare case of EHE that originated from nasal cavity and invaded intracranially through the anterior skull base. CASE DESCRIPTION This is a 27-year-old woman who prese...

BACKGROUND/AIM For advanced paranasal sinus cancer, intra-arterial (I-A) chemotherapy has been applied for improving prognosis and organ preservation. While computed tomographic angiography (CTA) is useful for identifying the tumor-feeding artery, CTA cannot always detect the precise artery. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of endoscopic ICG (indocyanine green) fluorescence t...

Purpose. Our purpose was to discuss the optimal treatment and outcomes for patients with skull base chordomas. Methods. We reviewed the pertinent literature for this study. Results. Skull base chordomas usually arise in the clivus and are rarely completely resectable. Therefore, most are treated with radiotherapy (RT). Because of the risk of severe late complications, the dose is often limited ...