Surgical treatment and outcomes of temporal bone chondroblastoma

Chondroblastoma is an uncommon primary benign bone tumor that usually arises in the epiphyses of the long bones. Temporal bone chondroblastoma is a rare primary bone tumor that affects the floor of the middle cranial fossa and temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The biological nature of temporal bone chondroblastoma is occasionally aggressive because of local invasion and is known to have a high recurrence after curettage. Therefore, complete resection is recommended. However, the literature provides little information regarding long-term surgical outcomes and complications after surgical resection. The authors have retrospectively analyzed four cases of temporal bone chondroblastoma that had been completely excised by a single surgeon with an eventual long-term follow-up. A single surgeon operated on four patients, two males and two females, with a mean age of 34 years, at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Severance Hospital. In all cases, the tumor involved the middle cranial fossa dura and the mandibular fossa with variable degree of infiltration. All patients have had no tumor recurrence to date (mean follow-up period of 5 years). Complete surgical resection of the temporal bone chondroblastoma is the gold standard for treatment. Precise preoperative image evaluation of tumor extension and proper management of the dura mater and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are the major important features in complete surgical removal that minimize complications in temporal bone chondroblastoma treatment.