Retrosigmoid approach for resection of cerebellopontine angle meningioma and decompression of the trigeminal nerve.

Cerebellopontine angle (CPA) lesions account for up to 10% of all intracranial tumors. The most common CPA lesions are vestibular schwannomas (70-80%), meningiomas (10-15%) and epidermoid cysts (5%). CPA tumors are estimated to be the secondary cause for up to 9.9% patients with trigeminal neuralgia. We demonstrate a case of medically refractory trigeminal neuralgia caused by a CPA meningioma that was successfully treated via retrosigmoid approach. The patient had immediate and dramatic symptomatic improvement after surgery. Detailed surgical techniques of retrosigmoid craniotomy and tumor dissection are presented in high definition video with narration. The video can be found here: http://youtu.be/55j9QCQEsH8 .