A Combined Approach to the Cerebellopontine Angle: A Suboccipital-Petrosal Approach

IT IS THE purpose of this paper to describe a combined approach to the cerebellopontine angle in which the advantages that are inherent in both a translabyrinthine and a suboccipital operation are used. Let us first review the advantages and disadvantages of both the translabyrinthine operation and the suboccipital operation. Advantages of the Translabyrinthine Operation: Early isolation of the facial nerve at the lateral extent of the internal auditory canal where definite landmarks are present. This reduces damage to the facial nerve during tumor dissection. Direct exposure of the tumor without the necessity of cerebellar retraction or resection. Complete removal of tumor from the internal auditory canal. Improved access to the superoanterior pole of the tumor. Direct access to the tumor bed in the postoperative period. Disadvantages of the Translabyrinthine Operation (Applicable Only in the Case of Large Tumors): Wide decompression of the posterior