Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Microvascular Decompression: Salient Surgical Principles and Technical Nuances
Published on: July 5, 2011
[Intracranial spread of a melanoma of the face: the trigeminal pathway]
1Service de chirurgie maxillofaciale, plastique et esthétique et de stomatologie, hôpital Nord, 42055 Saint-Etienne cedex 02, France. alix.thomas.cmf@gmail.com
Introduction:
The intracranial evolution of cutaneous melanoma is usually due to metastases. Neurotropic invasion mainly concerns the trigeminal and the facial nerves. The melanoma is a rare entity among neurotropic tumors.
Observation:
A patient presented with a desmoplastic melanoma of the lower lid, complicated by a perineural extension to the cavernous sinus and the mandibular nerve via the maxillary nerve.
Discussion:
This neurotropic evolution should be carefully monitored when close to a nerve. Extensive surgical excision including peripheral nerves in the vicinity of such tumors is recommended. MRI should be performed when a motor or sensitive disorder appears in the course of a desmoplastic melanoma.
Related Concept Videos
Cranial Nerves: Types Part I
Olfactory Nerve (Cranial Nerve I)
The olfactory nerve, or cranial nerve I, is unique as it is purely sensory and dedicated to the sense of smell. This nerve originates in the olfactory epithelium of the...
Direct Motor Pathways
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and the...
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
Skin Cancer
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC): BCC is the most common type of skin cancer, accounting for about 80% of cases. It typically develops in...
Cranial Nerves: Types Part II
Facial Nerve (Cranial Nerve VII)
Cranial nerve VII, or the facial nerve,...
