Cavernous malformations of the brain are low-flow vascular lesions that have a propensity to hemorrhage. Extensive surgical approaches are often required for operative cure of deep-seated lesions. A 23-year-old female presented with a cavernous malformation of the left posterior insula with surrounding hematoma measuring up to 3 cm. A minimally invasive (mini-)pterional craniotomy with a transsylvian approach was selected. Endoscopic assistance was utilized to confirm complete resection of the lesion. The minipterional craniotomy is a minimally invasive approach that provides optimal exposure for sylvian fissure dissection and resection of many temporal and insular lesions. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/9z6_EhU6lxs.
Keywords: cavernous malformation; insula; minimally invasive; minipterional; transsylvian; video.
© 2019, Peyton L. Nisson, Robert T. Wicks, Xiaochun Zhao, Whitney S. James, David Xu, and Peter Nakaji.