Jugular foramen neurinomas

Three patients with neurinomas of the jugular foramen are described. One of them had a small tumor confined within the jugular foramen and each of the other two had a tumor originating from the glossopharyngeal nerve. The common feature in all these patients was the presence of marked enlargement of the jugular foramen. Polytomography, jugular venography and bilateral retrograde vertebral arteriography were used to make the diagnosis. Total removal of their tumors was successfully accomplished using microsurgical technique. Forty-two other cases in the world literature are reviewed and analyzed.