Table 2.
Anatomical studies
| Author | Year | Origin | Nr of specimens | Portals | Approach | Craniectomy | Reconstruction | Target area | Surgical landmarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saraceno [59] | 2020 | Italy | 5 heads | TO | SLC and ILTEA | Drilling the GSW | N/A | MCF | SOF, IOF, TM |
| Bon-Jour Lin [38] | 2019 | China | 5 heads | TO | Lateral canthotomy with cantholysis + preseptal lower eyelid | Removal of GSW, drilling between FR and FO | Titanium Mesh, Miniplates | FR, FO, PPF, ITF, MCF, MC, GG, LWCS | GSW, MOB, ION, SOF, TM, IOF |
| Laleva [33] | 2019 | Bulgaria | 3 heads | TO | SLC extending through the zygoma | By removal of LOW and sphenoid ridge | N/A | Anteromedial: ACP, optic canal, ON, ICA; Posteromedial: LWCS; Posterior: MC, petrous apex; Inferior: ITF, pterygoid fossa | ZF, SF, TM, FZS, sphenoid ridge, MOB, ACP, LSW, SOF, GSW, FR, VC, FO |
| Bon-Jour Lin [37] | 2019 | China | 4 heads | TO | SLC + Lateral canthotomy and cantholysis | Large bone drilling of the GSW, LOW, SOW to reach to ACF and MCF dura | N/A | MIS, tentorium, MC, interpeduncular cistern, prepontine cistern | MLA, MOB, SOF, OC, IOF, anterior clinoid, M1 of MCA |
| Noiphitak [52] | 2018 | USA | 7 heads | TO + (endoscopic extraorbital corridor) | Extended incision from the lateral canthus towards lateral + canthotomy | Removal of LOW, drilling from IOF to SOF. Dural incision was made to reach the temporal lobe | N/A | MIS, tentorium, MC, interpeduncular cistern, prepontine cistern | MLA, MOB, SOF, OC, IOF, ACP, M1 of MCA |
| Noiphitak [51] | 2018 | USA | 5 heads | TO | SLC | Removal of SOW, laterally from the SOF to FS, removal of LOW from SOF to TM and from SOF to IOF | None | ACF, MCF, ICA, ACA, Chiasm, MCA | SOF, IOF, AEA, PEA, OC, MOF |
| Noiphitak [50] | 2018 | USA | 5 heads | TO + (endoscopic extraorbital corridor) + anterior transpetrosal | Extended incision from the lateral canthus towards canthotomy | N/A | N/A | Infratentorial region, PF, CN IV, V, VII, VIII, most anterosuperior, anteroinferior and posterosuperior accesible points of the brainstem | LOW, TM, GWS, Temporal dura, GSPN, LSPN, MMA, CNV1-3, Kawase triangle, IAC, tentorium cerebelli, CN IV |
| Di Somma [20] | 2018 | Italy | 5 heads | TO + Supraorbital | SLC (+ eyebrow incision) | Initially performed through zygoma (temporal fossa) and continued though GSW | N/A | Parasellar and lateral MCF (i.e. Sylvian fissure), MCA, most inferior visible point of CS | IOF, SOF, GSW, LSW, MOB, ACP, ICA |
| Di Somma [21] | 2018 | Italy | 5 heads | TO + Supraorbital | SLC | Initially performed through zygoma (temporal fossa) and continued though GSW | N/A | Petrous bone, Cerebellopontine angle space, MIS, Ventral brainstem space | SOF, TM, IOF, MMA, FS, FO, MOB, GSPN, pICA, GG, tentorium |
| Di Somma [19] | 2017 | Italy | 10 heads | TO | SLC | 4 types proposed: 1) lateral corridor to MCF, 2) lateral corridor to ACF, 3) combined lateral to MCF and ACF with LSW removal and 4) medial corridor to opticocarotid region | N/A | ACF, MCF | GSW, SOF, LSW, TM, IOF, MMA, MOB, MCA |
| Almeida [1] | 2017 | USA | 4 heads | TO + (TN) | SLC | Via drilling the orbital roof and GSW. TM is the lateral limit for craniectomy. | 2-layer temporal fascia graft | Sylvian fissure, MCA, AL surface of insula, ICA, crural and ambiens cistern | MLA, SOF, IOF, TM, ACP, MCA |
| Priddy [56] | 2017 | USA | 9 heads | TO | SLC | Drilling of GSW and LSW | N/A | MC | SOF, MOB, LOW, GSW |
| Dallan [14] | 2017 | Italy | 5 heads | TO | SLC | Drilling of GSW | N/A | CS | SOF, MLA, GSW, MOB |
| Di Somma [21] | 2017 | Italy | 5 heads | TO + (TN) | SLC | Until optic chiasm by removal of ACP | N/A | ON, OC | SOF, OC, PEA, ICA |
| Ciporen [11] | 2017 | USA | 3 heads | Transnasal (clival) compared with TN + TO | PC | Transnasal transclival | N/A | Posterior cerebral vessels (BA – proximal to its apex –, PCA, SCA, and AICA) | AEA, PEA, lamina papyracea |
| Ciporen [10] | 2016 | USA | 8 heads | Transnasal (clival) compared with TN+TO | PC | Transnasal transclival | N/A | Cavernous ICA | AEA, PEA, lamina papyracea |
| Matsuo [44] | 2016 | USA | 7 orbits | Translateral orbit | Translateral orbital wall approach (orbitozygomatic approach) | LOW, GSW osteotomy | N/A | Superior. and lateral surfaces of the orbit, OC, SOF, and CS (after drilling the GSW and ACP MCF, KT could be reached) | TM, LOW, GSW, SOF |
| Ferrari [25] | 2016 | Italy | 7 heads | TO | Inferolateral orbital rim | Triangle between SOF and IOF exposing TM, ITF, and MCF | N/A | 4 corridors: MC corridor (GG, SPS), carotid foramen (ET, ICA), petrous corridor (GSPN, EA), transdural MCF corridor (medial surface of TL, temporal horn of lateral ventricle, tentorium) | ZFB, ZTB, IOF, SOF, MOB, MLA, FO, V2, V3, MMA, FS, FR |
| Alqahtani [2] | 2015 | Italy | 5 heads | TO + TN | Transpalpebral (transverse supratarsal skin incision) | By removal of superior orbital wall | Multilayer with synthetic graft, mucoperiosteal septal graft | ACF, MCF (i.e. ON, ICA, sellar/suprasellar structures) | AEA, PEA, ON, SOF |
| Bly [6] | 2014 | USA | 5 heads + computer-aided modelling | TO | LRC | GSW removal between IOF and SOF | N/A | Lateral CS | IOF, SOF, ION |
| Bly [4] | 2012 | USA | 4 heads +14 CT scans (computer-aided modelling) | 2 TN, 8 TO | TN, LRC, TC, PC, SLC, | N/A | N/A | Pre - postchiasmatic cistern, CS, MC. SOF, Third ventricle, basal cistern, clivus | N/A |
| Ciporen [9] | 2010 | USA | 5 heads | TO + TN + Supraorbital | PC (plus TN and supraorbital minicraniotomies) | N/A | N/A | PG, OC, cavernous ICA, clivus, | AEA, PEA, FES |
| Duz [24] | 2009 | Turkey | 5 heads | TO + (TN + keyhole) | 1) Inferolateral orbitotomy-EOA, 2) endoscopic endonasal medial orbital approach, and 3) transcranial keyhole endoscopic orbital approach | N/A | N/A | Orbit | TM, AEA, PEA |
ACF anterior cranial fossa, ACP anterior clinoid process, AEA anterior ethmoidal artery, ALC anterior lacrimal crest, CS cavernous sinus, EOA endoscopic orbital approach, FES frontoethmoid suture, FO foramen ovale, FR foramen rotundum, FS foramen spinosum, FZS frontozygomatic suture, GG Gasserian ganglion, GSW greater sphenoidal wing, ICA internal carotid artery, ILTEA inferolateral transorbital approach, IOF inferior orbital fissure, ITF infratemporal fossa, KT Kawase triangle, LOW lateral orbital wall, LRC lateral retrocanthal, LSW lesser sphenoidal wing, LWCS lateral wall of the cavernous sinus, MC Meckel`s cave, MCF middle cranial fossa, MIS middle incisural space, MLA meningolacrimal artery, MMA middle meningeal artery, MOB meningoorbital band, MOW medial orbital wall, N/A not applicable, OA orbital apex, OC optic canal, ON optic nerve, PC precaruncular, PCF posterior cranial fossa, PEA posterior ethmoidal artery, PS preseptal lower eyelid, SF supraorbital foramen, SLC superior eyelid crease, SOF superior orbital fissure, ST superior turbinate, TL temporal lobe, TM temporalis muscle, TN transnasal, TO transorbital, VC Vidian canal, VN Vidian nerve, ZF zygomaticotemporal foramen, ZFB zygomaticofacial bundle, ZTB zygomaticotemporal bund