Microsurgical resection of a medullary cavernous malformation through a far lateral approach

The decision to resect a cavernous malformation of the brainstem is based on patient- and lesion-specific factors. The patient's age, comorbidities, neurologic condition, and number and severity of symptomatic hemorrhages are crucial to consider.^1,3,5 The proximity to the brainstem surface, amount of hematoma, and true lesion size help dictate the surgical corridor.^2,4 We present a patient with a medullary cavernous malformation who had three hemorrhages and neurologic worsening. The surgical approach was based on detailed preoperative imaging. We performed a far lateral posterior fossa exposure to resect the lesion. The details of surgical planning and the microsurgery are presented. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/2y-OJ22Zjw8.