Functional Prognosis Following Temporal Bone Chondroblastoma Resection: A Systematic Review and Case Illustration

Chondroblastomas are rare tumors that account for <1% of all bone tumors, and 5.7% of them occur in the skull. The aim of this study was to investigate factors related to their functional prognosis by conducting a systematic review, including our own case.

A systematic review was conducted of case reports that clearly stated postoperative symptoms in temporal chondroblastomas. Tumor localization was limited to cases of the temporal bone. Cases not described in English were excluded.

We obtained 30 articles comprising 44 cases and included our own case for a total of 45 cases. Postoperative asymptomatic cases accounted for 53.3% (24/45), and symptomatic cases accounted for 46.7% (21/45). Complications were observed in 31.1% (14/45) of cases. The main complications were facial palsy (9 cases), occlusal disorders (4 cases), and hearing loss (4 cases). The occurrence of facial palsy as a complication was considered likely. Tumor size was confirmed in 36 cases. Cases with postoperative complications were more likely to involve tumors ≥5 cm in size (77.8%, 7/9) compared with cases without complications (40.7%, 11/27). There was a significant association between rate of postoperative complications and tumor size (P = 0.061).

As temporal chondroblastoma poses a risk of residual postoperative symptoms when the tumor grows, aggressive surgical treatment should be considered even in asymptomatic or small tumors.