Temporal bone malignancies involving the jugular foramen: diagnosis and management.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the diagnosis, management and outcomes of temporal bone malignancies involving the jugular foramen.


METHODS
The charts of 12 patients with temporal bone malignancies involving the jugular foramen were reviewed and analyzed.


RESULTS
The most frequent symptoms of temporal bone malignancies involving the jugular foramen were hearing loss (75%), otorrhea (66.67%) and otalgia (66.67%). In addition to the jugular foramen, the most invaded structure was the external auditory canal (91.67%), followed by the middle ear (75%) and facial nerve (58.33%). Four cases (33.33%) were misdiagnosed either with glomus jugulare tumor, Bell's palsy or chronic otitis media. Two patients underwent lateral temporal bone resection, whereas 10 patients underwent subtotal temporal bone resection. The mean follow-up time was 23.83 months (range, 2-85 months). The 2-year disease-free survival rate was 42.3%.


CONCLUSIONS
Temporal bone malignancies involving the jugular foramen had a poor prognosis, especially in patients with squamous cell carcinoma. Misdiagnoses including glomus jugulare tumor, Bell's palsy and chronic otitis media were frequently encountered. Temporal bone malignancies involving the jugular foramen can be resected, and the choice of the surgical approach should be individualized.
Department of Otology and Skull Base Surgery, Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Wei
W
Li
Ting
T
Zhang
Chunfu
C
Dai
D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005925:Glomus Jugulare Tumor / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000473:pathology*