A 34-Year-OldWoman with Brainstem Cavernous Malformation : The Anterior Transcallosal Transchoroidal Approach and Literature Review

Cavernous malformations (CMs) of the central nervous system have an estimated prevalence of < 1% in the general population.1,2 Brainstem cavernomas account for 4 to 35% of intracranial cavernomas in contemporary series.2–5 These lesions may give rise to severe and complex neurologic deficits if they hemorrhage. However, surgery within this region is also not without inherent risks. Irreversible deficits due to damage of sensitive brainstem structures are important factors to be taken into careful consideration. If surgery is proposed, it requires the utmost planning. Depending on location, different surgical approaches to brainstem CMs have been performed and reported in contemporary studies. We report a case of a young healthy woman presenting with a brainstem CM that was resected by an anterior transcallosal transchoroidal approach (ATTA), an approach rarely used but that promises a valuable alternative to ventral mesencephalic CMs (MeCMs).

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