Endoscopic Endonasal Surgery to Resect a Solitary Trigeminal Neurofibroma Involving the Infratemporal Fossa: A Case Report

Ear Nose Throat J. 2022 Nov 29:1455613221142657. doi: 10.1177/01455613221142657. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Trigeminal neurofibromas are rarely reported, and even rarer when involving the infratemporal fossa. We describe the case of a 58-year-old man incidentally found through magnetic resonance imaging to have a tumor situated mainly in the infratemporal fossa. The tumor derived from the third branch of the trigeminal nerve and was totally removed by endoscopic endonasal surgery. Final pathology confirmed a diagnosis of neurofibroma. The patient had no intraoperative or postoperative complications except for numbness of the face. During the 6 years of follow-up, there has been no tumor progress or recurrence. We consider that endoscopic endonasal surgery is feasible in treating trigeminal neurofibromas involving the infratemporal fossa.

Keywords: endoscopic surgery; the infratemporal fossa; trigeminal neurofibroma.