Surgical management of extensive jugular paragangliomas: 10-year-experience with a large cohort of patients in China

ObjectiveJugular paraganglioma (JP) is a rare vascular lesion. Surgical treatment is challenging as differing degrees of skull base invasion and cranial nerve infiltration complicate the procedure. The infra-temporal fossa type A (IFTA) approach has been advocated as the primary surgical strategy. However, due to the small number of cases in each report and the different categories of JP, no study has provided concrete results about the effectiveness and safeness of IFTA in treating different categories of JP.MethodsWe reviewed our institutional experience in the management of patients with JP.ResultsRecords of 89 JP patients were reviewed. The IFTA procedure appears equally effective in preserving lower cranial nerve function for both extradural and intracranial extension JP. Use of the IFTA approach for intracranial JP poses a significant risk of post-operative morbidity including facial nerve dysfunction, tumor recurrence and CSF leak.ConclusionImprovements in the standard IFTA approach are necessary for improved outcomes in patients with intracranial extension JP.