[Defect reconstruction after removal of tumor in lateral skull base]

To explore the methods of reconstruction for the defects of lateral skull base after removal of tumor.

One hundred and thirty two patients who underwent removal of tumor in the lateral skull base and reconstruction of defects after surgery were summarized retrospectively. They suffered from acoustic neuroma (92 cases), the tumor in the jugular foramen (21 cases), neoplasms in the infratemporal fossa (6 cases), recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy (4 cases), cancer of middle ear (3 cases), meningioma (2 cases), arachnoid cyst in the cerebellopontine angle (2 cases), and squamous cell carcinoma of the temporal bone (2 cases). The defects of dura mater membrane, basion, arcus jugalis, base of skull and infratemporal fossa were repaired with the abdominal wall fat (113 cases), temporal muscle and temporal musculofascial flap (29 cases), sternocleidomastoideus muscle flap (19 cases), major pectoral myocutaneous flap (2 cases), the artificial mater (1 case), titanium board (1 case).

All muscle or myocutaneous flaps survived in these patients, and fat tissues survival rate was 98.2% (111/113). Leakage of cerebrospinal fluid occurred in two patients after repairing with fat tissues. The intracranial infection was not found in these patients.

According to the position of tumor in the lateral skull and different type of defect, different reconstructing methods and materials were used. The reconstruction in the lateral skull base and infratemporal fossa defect plays an important role to eliminate dead space, and avoid leakage of cerebrospinal fluid and intracranial infection, which is one of key points in the lateral base surgery.