Surgery on lesions involving cavernous sinus

Abstract

Selection of the operative route for cavernous sinus related lesions, the extent of the exposure necessary, the need for intraoperative control of the carotid artery and feasibility and need of radical resection depend on the histological nature of the tumour. The age and sex of the patient, principal presenting signs, size of the tumour, extent of cranial nerve and carotid artery involvement, imaging characters and other such features are helpful in estimating the consistency and vascularity of the lesion, site of origin and direction of its spread, and the extent and nature of cavernous sinus involvement. Evaluation of the histology of the lesion on the basis of the radiological and clinical parameters and the impact on decision regarding the surgical strategy is discussed in the present report.