The Surgical Management of Glomus Jugulare Tumours-Description of a Single-Staged Posterolateral Combined Otoneurosurgical Approach

A series of 31 patients harbouring 33 glomus tumours of the skull base were treated by a posterolateral combined otoneurosurgical approach. Seventy-four percent of tumours were totally exercised. Only one case required a 2-staged procedure. Three patients were given postoperative radiotherapy. Twenty-eight patients had a satisfactory result. There were two deaths in the postoperative period, one from intracerebral haemorrhage and the other from left hemisphere infarction. The literature regarding the initial recognition and characterisation of these neoplasms is briefly summarised. Operative management of these challenging lesions is described and discussed in the context of other available techniques.