The Comparison of Surgical Outcomes Between Early and Advanced Class of Jugular Paragangliomas Following Application of Our Modified Surgical Techniques

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the safety and effectiveness of surgical treatment of jugular paragangliomas (JPs) following application of our modified surgical techniques.Methods: Fifty-six patients with JPs were analyzed for tumor classification, surgical outcomes, and intratumor blood vessels.Results: The gross total resection in C1-2 (100%) was significantly greater than that in C3 and D (66.7%). The presence of postoperative good facial nerve (FN) function House-Brackmann (HB) I-II in C1-2 (89.5%) was not significantly different from C3 and D (93.3%) (P =0.694). The presence of preoperative and postoperative lower cranial nerve (LCN) deficits was correlated with the Fisch classification of tumors (P<0.05), and more intraoperative blood loss was demonstrated in advanced tumors (P=0.050). Further study showed that the cross-sectional area of intratumor blood vessels was positively associated with intraoperative blood loss (P<0.001).Conclusions: Surgical excision of JPs is a safe and effective strategy, and early surgical treatment is a good option for patients with C1-2 tumors without surgical contraindications.