Turkish Neurosurgery 2001 , Vol 11 , Num 1-2
MIDDLE FOSSA SURGICAL ANATOMY RELATED TO THE SUBTEMPORAL PREAURICULAR INFRATEMPORAL APPROACH: AN ANATOMIC STUDY
Emel AVCI1, Yalçın KOCAOĞULLAR2, Damirez FOSSETT1, Anthony CAPUTY1
1The Harvey H. Ammerman Neurasurgical Laboratory Department of Neurosurgery, George Washington University, Washington DC
2Selçuk University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Konya, Turkey
Lesions in the extradural middle and upper clival region, including the posterior cavernous sinus, and those in the infratemporal and middle fossa areas can be accessed by the subtemporal preauricular infratemporal approach. This method requires drilling of the petrous bone and clivus, and mobilization of the petrous internal carotid artery. The anatomy of the petrous apex and middle cranial fossa is complex, and thorough knowledge of the anatomic landmarks in this area is necessary in order to explore the petrous internal carotid artery with minimal risk. Keywords : Anatomy, clivus, infratemporal fossa, petrous carotid artery, trigeminal nerve
Corresponding author : Emel Avcı, avciemel@hotmai1.com