title: Microsurgical Resection of Petroclival Tumors via the Subtemporal Transtentorial Approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study and summarize our experience with the subtemporal transtentorial approach for resection of petroclival tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight patients who suffered from petroclival tumors and underwent tumor resection via a subtemporal transtentorial approach between October 2010 and July 2013 were retrospectively reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total resection was performed in 22 cases, at a rate of 78.57%, subtotal resection in 5 cases, and large portion resection in 1 case. 13 patients who suffered from varying degrees of postoperative nerve dysfunction all improved or recovered, during the 6 to 24 month post-operative follow up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The subtemporal transtentorial approach is one of the best approaches for resection of petroclival tumors, especially for a tumor at the petrosal apex and upper-middle clival region, and has the advantages of less trauma, easy procedure of craniotomy, and also a good surgical exposure.
authors.affiliation: Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Department of Neurosurgery, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Zhou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xingruo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Daofeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Qianxue
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003388:Cranial Fossa, Posterior / Q000601:surgery; D003399:Craniotomy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D008579:Meningioma / Q000601:surgery*; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult