Occipital-interhemispheric transtentorial pineal mass resection

Neurosurg Focus Video. 2024 Jan 1;10(1):V16. doi: 10.3171/2023.10.FOCVID23161. eCollection 2024 Jan.

Abstract

The occipital approach for pineal tumors was first described by James Poppen in 1966. Since then, it has been widely used for accessing deep-seated tumors as it offers a wider surgical view than the supracerebellar transtentorial approach. This video demonstrates the technical nuances of the occipital transtentorial approach and the exoscopic dissection of a pineal gland tumor in a 66-year-old male. Use of the exoscope over the microscope provides certain ergonomic advantages and improves surgical workflow, as demonstrated here. The video can be found here: https://stream.cadmore.media/r10.3171/2023.10.FOCVID23161.

Keywords: exoscope; improved ergonomics; microscopic excision; occipital interhemipsheric transtentorial; pineal tumor.