title: Functional Petrosectomy Via a Suboccipital Retrosigmoid Approach: Guidelines and Topography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent reports have validated the use of retrosigmoid approach extensions to deal with posterior fossa lesions extending laterally extracranially or superiorly into the petroclival areas. The purpose of our research is to describe the topographic retrosigmoid anatomy of the petrous pyramid and provide guidelines for neurovascular sparing drilling (hence for a functional petrosectomy), via this surgical route.
  
  
  METHODS
  Suprameatal and inframeatal retrosigmoid approach extensions were performed bilaterally in 6 specimens in the semisitting position. Topographic relationships of pertinent labyrinthine landmarks with evident posterolateral cranial base structures were measured by neuronavigation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Excellent exposure of inframeatal/petroclival regions as well as of the extracranial posterior infratemporal area was achieved in all the specimens. In the inframeatal region, petrous bone drilling was limited by the labyrinth and the internal auditory canal superiorly and by the jugular bulb, the inferior petrosal sinus, and the lower cranial nerves inferiorly. The intrapetrous internal carotid artery represented the anterolateral limit. In the suprameatal area, the drilling was limited laterally by the labyrinth (i.e., by the posterior part of the superior semicircular canal, the upper part of the posterior semicircular canal, and the common crus). The internal auditory canal was the inferior limit, and the superior petrosal sinus and the trigeminal nerve limited the drilling superiorly. Multiple topographic relationships among key landmarks were quantified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Knowledge of the topographic anatomy of the labyrinthine structures examined may be useful (combined with careful assessment of the preoperative imaging and with the use of neuronavigation and endoscopy) to accomplish a retrosigmoid neurovascular sparing petrosectomy.
authors.affiliation: Dardinger Microneurosurgical Skull Base Laboratory, Department of Neurological Surgery, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Umberto I General Hospital, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Colasanti
authors.affiliation: Dardinger Microneurosurgical Skull Base Laboratory, Department of Neurological Surgery, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Al-Rahim Abbasali
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Tailor
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Wright Center of Innovation in Biomedical Imaging, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Dardinger Microneurosurgical Skull Base Laboratory, Department of Neurological Surgery, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA. Electronic address: mario.ammirati@osumc.edu.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ammirati
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D059925:Anatomic Landmarks; D002102:Cadaver; D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D038361:Neuronavigation; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D009777:Occipital Bone / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery*; D056888:Patient Positioning; D010579:Petrous Bone / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery*; D019291:Skull Base / Q000601:surgery
keywords: Inframeatal region; Infratemporal fossa; Petroclival region; Petrous bone; Retrosigmoid approach; Suprameatal region