title: Far lateral approach for foramen magnum lesions.
abstract: Twelve patients with lesions in the anterior or anterolateral regions of foramen magnum were treated through the far lateral approach. The patients presented with neck pain, dysesthesia, quadriparesis, numbness, respiratory distress, and spastic contractures. Most lesions were meningiomas and neurofibromas, with one patient each with a posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm, neurenteric cyst, and chordoma. All mass lesions were excised totally and the aneurysm was clipped. Three patients had severe respiratory problems preoperatively and two of them died. The other patients made a satisfactory neurological recovery. It was not found necessary to resect the condyle or mobilize the vertebral artery in any of the patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Khosla
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Mathuria
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pathak
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Tewari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D005260:Female; D005539:Foramen Magnum / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures