[Temporal bone approach to the retromaxillary-infracranial space and the orbit in tumor surgery]

The article gives a detailed description of a temporal approach to the retromaxillary infracranial space and to the orbit, developed by one of the co-authors (H. Obwegeser) of this article. Case reports show the broad spectrum of indication in surgery of benign, and especially of malignant, tumours in this region. Surgery is performed via an extended type of incision in the scalp. The cheekbone and the coronoid process, or the upper portion of the ascending ramus of the lower jaw, can be osteotomized and transposed as muscular flaps. The great advantages of this surgical procedure are an excellent overview, absence of visible scarification, and preservation of all tumour-free parts of the facial skeleton, combined with the possibility of radical en-bloc removal of the neoplasm.