• Alireza Gharabaghi, Andrei Koerbel, Amir Samii, Sam Safavi-Abbasi, Marcos Tatagiba, and Madjid Samii.
• Department of Neurosurgery, International Neuroscience Institute, Hannover, Germany. alireza.gharabaghi@med.uni-tuebingen.de
• Surg Neurol. 2005 Nov 1;64(5):428-33; discussion 433.

BackgroundEpidermoid cysts involving the cavernous sinus are rare lesions. They can be divided into 3 different categories: extracavernous, interdural, and true intracavernous.MethodsThis classification of cavernous epidermoid cysts is correlated with the extent of tumor resection and the clinical outcome in reported cases here and elsewhere.ResultsPatients with cysts invading or compressing the cavernous sinus present with an excellent functional recovery after surgery independent of the extent of tumor resection. In cases of interdural cysts, there is often an adherence of the tumor capsule to the third and fourth cranial nerves. Therefore, in this group, subtotal resection is a safe strategy to prevent surgical morbidity. However, this policy may lead to a higher incidence of tumor recurrence in these cases. In true intracavernous lesions, a higher rate of total removal is possible despite the increased occurrence of internal carotid artery encasement and cranial nerve displacement.ConclusionPostoperative outcome with preservation of neural and vascular structures in cavernous epidermoid cysts is more likely related to surgical strategy than to tumor localization. Independent of the different tumor origins in these cases, a subtotal resection is usually sufficient to achieve postoperative improvement of the symptoms without additional morbidity.

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