Anatomy involved in the jugular foramen approach for jugulotympanic paraganglioma resection.

The goal in paraganglioma resection is to allow adequate exposure to remove the lesion while preserving cranial nerve function. Knowledge of the anatomy of the jugular foramen is crucial to this endeavor. In this report the authors describe a jugular foramen approach for the resection of glomus jugulare tumors in cases in which rerouting of the facial nerve can be avoided. This approach provides adequate exposure of the jugular bulb for many jugulotympanic paragangliomas without increased risk of injury to the facial nerve. In addition, special circumstances surrounding intracranial and carotid artery involvement are briefly discussed.