Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jul 1;1(1):V7.
doi: 10.3171/2019.7.FocusVid.19163. eCollection 2019 Jul.

Microsurgical laser resection of brainstem cavernous malformations

Ephraim W Church  1 , Gary K Steinberg  1
Affiliations

Microsurgical laser resection of brainstem cavernous malformations

Ephraim W Church et al. Neurosurg Focus Video. .

Abstract

This operative technique video demonstrates laser microsurgery for brainstem cavernous malformations (CMs). In case 1 we demonstrate CO2 laser microsurgery for a symptomatic pontine CM using far lateral craniotomy and olivary zone entry. Case 2 demonstrates the subtemporal approach and removal of a paratrigeminal CM, and case 3 is a dorsal midbrain CM. We illustrate several advantages of laser microsurgery including improved visualization in narrow corridors, precise cutting with reduced thermal damage, and effective sealing of small vessels. Over the past decade at Stanford University School of Medicine, over 120 brainstem CMs have been removed using laser microsurgery with good results. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/DwwqWGv_vzo.

Keywords: brainstem; cavernoma; cavernous malformation; laser; microsurgery; video.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures Dr. Steinberg is a consultant for Qool Therapeutics, Peter Lazic US Inc., and NeuroSave.

References

    1. Choudhri O, Karamchandani J, Gooderham P, Steinberg GK. Flexible omnidirectional carbon dioxide laser as an effective tool for resection of brainstem, supratentorial, and intramedullary cavernous malformations. Neurosurgery. 2014;10(Suppl 1):34–44. - PubMed
    1. Pandey P, Westbroek EM, Gooderham PA, Steinberg GK. Cavernous malformation of brainstem, thalamus, and basal ganglia: a series of 176 patients. Neurosurgery. 2013;72(4):573–589. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources