Case
About this case
Operative video: the Petrous Apex, through the Middle Fossa approach. The background notes below summarise the anatomy, pathology and approach, with published references.
Reference notes
Background
Notes on this case’s cranial location, pathology and surgical approach, with published sources. General education only, not advice for any individual patient.
Cranial Location
Petrous Apex
The petrous apex is the medial pyramid of the temporal bone, bordered by the internal carotid artery, Meckel's cave and the internal auditory canal. Lesions include cholesterol granulomas, epidermoids/cholesteatomas, chondrosarcomas and apical petrositis.
Drainage or resection uses infralabyrinthine, infracochlear, middle-fossa or endoscopic endonasal (transsphenoidal) corridors, chosen by the patient's hearing and the lesion's relation to the carotid artery.
