Cavernous Sinus Meningioma: Tumor Decompression for Trigeminal Neuralgia and Anterior Tibial Artery Graft High-Flow Bypass for Brain Ischemia: 2-Dimensional Operative Video

A 62-yr-old man with left cavernous sinus tumor presented with atypical trigeminal neuralgia refractory to medical treatment. He received Gamma Knife (Elekta) radiation for the tumor. However, the facial pain worsened after radiation. Neuropsychological testing done for memory problems had revealed mild neurocognitive disorder. Neurological examination showed trigeminal distribution numbness and partial abducens nerve paralysis. Imaging revealed an enhancing left cavernous sinus and supra-cavernous mass. Angiography revealed severe stenosis of the left cavernous internal carotid artery (ICA). Computed tomography (CT) perfusion study showed diminished blood flow on the left side, and ischemic changes were seen in fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).  Surgical resection of the tumor was preferred over ablative treatment for trigeminal neuralgia because of its effectiveness in improving cranial nerve (CN) function.1 The patient underwent staged surgeries. In the first stage, the tumor was partially excised with decompression of the trigeminal ganglion and nerve root in the lateral cavernous sinus wall, Meckel's cave. Postoperatively, MR angiography revealed worsening of the left ICA caliber. Therefore, a high-flow bypass from the external carotid artery to the middle cerebral artery (MCA) was performed with an anterior tibial artery graft. The patient recovered initially but developed enterococcus meningitis postoperatively, which was promptly identified and treated with antibiotics. At 1-yr follow-up, the graft was patent, and the patient had significant relief of his facial pain and cognitively improved.  This 2-dimensional video demonstrates the technique of partial excision of cavernous sinus meningioma with CN decompression, and the technique of a high-flow bypass from the external carotid artery to M2 MCA segment using an anterior tibial artery graft.  The patient gave informed consent for surgery and video recording. All relevant patient identifiers have been removed from the video and accompanying radiology slides.