Supraorbital Keyhole Approach for Resection of Prechiasmatic Craniopharyngioma: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

Craniopharyngioma are benign extra-axial tumors occurring classically in the vicinity of the sella. Because of the complex anatomy surrounding the sella turcica comprising, among others, the vessels of the circle of Willis, the optic nerves, chiasma and optic pathway, the hypothalamus, the third ventricle, and the pituitary gland, a large variety of technical approaches have been described. We illustrate, in this video, a unilateral supraorbital keyhole approach to access and entirely extirpate a prechiasmatic craniopharyngioma.  A 40-yr-old healthy male presented to the emergency department with a history of rapid visual deterioration in the left eye in the last 10 d. A brain computed tomography scan showed a circumscribed prechiasmatic cystic lesion partially calcified that was radiologically compatible with a craniopharyngioma on the magnetic resonance imaging. We decided to access the lesion by a right-sided subfrontal corridor using a frontal wrinkle for the skin incision. This technique allows rapid and safe access to the central prechiasmatic region. By choosing a contralateral approach, we aim at optimizing the control on the opposite optic nerve with a perpendicular view. Total removal of the craniopharyngioma was accomplished without causing neurological deterioration. In fact, left eye visual disturbances were immediately retrieved after the surgery. No endocrinological issue or postoperative complication was reported. Minimal cosmetic disturbances are achieved with a meticulous skin incision and bone flap reconstruction.

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Copyright © 2020 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.