Sam Safavi-Abbasi, Joseph M Zabramski, Pushpa Deshmukh, Cassius V Reis, Nicholas C Bambakidis, Nicholas Theodore, Neil R Crawford, Robert F Spetzler, Mark C Preul
OBJECT: The authors quantitatively assessed the effects of balloon inflation as a model of tumor compression on the brainstem, cranial nerves, and clivus by measuring the working area, angle of attack, and brain shift associated with the retrosigmoid approach. METHODS: Six silicone-injected cadaveric heads were dissected bilaterally via the retrosigmoid approach. Quantitative data were generated, including key anatomical points on the skull base and brainstem. All parameters were measured before and after inflation of a balloon catheter (inflation volume 4...
October 2007: Journal of Neurosurgery