Minimally invasive neuroendoscopic surgery for cerebellar infarct: A technical note

This document serves as a follow-up to our publication entitled, "Neurosurgical Treatment of Cerebellar Infarct: Open Craniectomy Versus Endoscopic Surgery," and seeks to offer a comprehensive analysis of this surgical approach.

This technical note outlines a minimally invasive endoscopic technique for the excision of necrotic tissue in patients suffering from extensive cerebellar infarcts.

Our minimally invasive endoscopic evacuation of necrotic tissue (MENT) technique has been utilized successfully since 2014 as a substitute for conventional decompressive craniotomy. The procedure is distinguished by a mini-keyhole access and a 2-cm incision, which is subsequently utilized for the endoscopic extraction of necrotic material under C-arm guidance.

This approach presents numerous advantages, including reduced surgical duration, smaller incision size, and a lower risk of infection. Our comparative analysis with traditional craniotomy revealed similar outcomes regarding the scale for the assessment and rating of ataxia (SARA) scale and Glasgow Coma Scale score, when employing a less invasive method. MENT is particularly beneficial for elderly patients with pre-existing medical conditions, offering a safer and more effective treatment option for cerebellar and posterior fossa infarcts.