Lateral extended transsphenoidal endoscopic approach through the pterygopalatine fossa in surgery for meningoencephalocele of the lateral sphenoid recess

Abstract

Meningoencephalocele is a hernial protrusion of the medulla and meninges through a defect in the skull bones. Due to poor accessibility of meningoencephalocele located in the lateral sphenoid recess region, modern surgical treatment of this pathology prefers to use endoscopic transsphenoidal approaches. Material and methods. The study included 4 patients with meningoencephalocele of the lateral recess of the sphenoid sinus (1 male and 3 females; mean age, 46.8 years). All patients underwent resection of meningoencephalocele and repair of a skull base defect using the lateral extended transsphenoidal endoscopic approach through the pterygopalatine fossa (transpterygoid approach). Results. In all patients, meningoencephalocele was resected to the bone defect level. There was no postoperative liquorrhea. Complications included bacterial meningitis (1 case), asymptomatic imbibition of the temporal lobe pole (1 case), and temporary numbness in the V2 innervation area of the trigeminal nerve (1 case). Conclusion. The paper describes and demonstrates advantages of the lateral extended transsphenoidal endoscopic approach through the pterygopalatine fossa (transpterygoid approach) for surgical treatment of patients with meningoencephalocele of the lateral sphenoid recess.