[Application of internal carotid artery stent in skull base surgery]

Objective: To report the experience of the application of internal carotid artery stent in skull base surgery, and to clarify the important role of internal carotid artery stent in skull base surgery. Methods: A retrospective study of 22 cases with skull base neoplasms implanted with internal carotid artery stents in the Department of ENT Head and Neck Surgery at the Sixth People's Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University between July 2019 and January 2021 was conducted. Among them, 17 were male and 5 were female, aged between 33 and 75 years. There were 5 cases on the left, 16 cases on the right, and 1 case on both sides. Of these, there were 4 cases of jugular paraganglioma, 1 case of chondrosarcoma in the jugular foramen, 1 case of carotid body paraganglioma, and 16 cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy. Results: The degree of internal carotid artery erosion was assessed by computed tomography angiography (CTA), magnetic resonance imaging and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) images in 22 patients before surgery. It was found that the internal carotid artery was involved to varying degrees in all patients, so internal carotid artery stents were implanted before surgery. Tumor tissue was found to surround the internal carotid artery to varying degrees. Total or subtotal tumor resection was performed in all patients, and no intraoperative and postoperative complications occurred. The postoperative follow-up was 5 months to 2 years, and all patients had no complications such as spontaneous bleeding and pseudo aneurysm. There were no signs of stenosis or occlusion of the internal carotid artery stent segment in all cases. Conclusions: For patients with skull base tumors, preoperative imaging indicates the limited involvement of the internal carotid artery, and internal carotid artery stent implantation before surgery is a safe and effective treatment.