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Updated: Feb 19, 2026
Lateral Molar Approach-Driven Transoral Endoscopic Procedure for Benign Infratemporal Fossa Tumor Resection
Published on: August 15, 2025
Transcondylar approach for resection of lateral medullary cavernous malformation
1Department of Neurosurgery, George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates, 2150 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 7th Floor, Washington, DC, 20038, USA.
Background:
Resection of a medullary cavernous malformation requires aggressive exposure, but there is controversy on how much occipital condyle can be safely removed during the transcondylar approach.
Method:
We describe and demonstrate the use of the transcondylar approach to a medullary cavernous malformation, with emphasis on adequate surgical exposure while preserving the atlanto-occipital joint.
Conclusions:
Despite conservative handling of the occipital condyle, craniocervical stability may vary in patients after transcondylar surgery. A "dynamic" computer tomography, with views of the atlanto-occipital joint at each end-rotational extreme, may be the best postoperative assessment tool to evaluate the stability of the craniocervical junction.
