Clinical outcomes of the neuroendoscopic far lateral supracerebellar infratentorial approach for resection of deep brain lesions

Resection of deep cerebral lesions presents significant challenges for neurosurgeons. However, advancements in neuroendoscopic techniques have led to the adoption of endoscopic surgery via the supracerebellar infratentorial approach for addressing deep cerebral lesions located in the petroclival region, cerebellopontine angle, and pineal region. The aim of this study was to explore the curative effects and analyse the characteristics of the neuroendoscopic far-lateral supracerebellar infratentorial approach for treating these lesions. Sixteen cases of deep cerebral lesions treated with this method were reviewed, and the surgical outcomes and patients' postoperative conditions were assessed to evaluate the approach's effectiveness. Among the 16 patients, ten were diagnosed with petroclival region meningiomas, two with epidermoid cysts in the cerebellopontine angle, two with germ cell tumours in the pineal region, one with a trigeminal schwannoma, and one with a thalamic haematoma. Notably, only two patients (12.5%) experienced postoperative complications, and during follow-up, three patients (18.6%) exhibited no symptom improvement. These findings indicate that the neuroendoscopic far-lateral supracerebellar infratentorial approach enhances lesion exposure, improves the surgeon's view of the surgical field, minimizes the risk of intraoperative injury, and reduces the risk of postoperative complications, demonstrating significant potential for the clinical treatment of skull base lesions due to its effectiveness and safety.