Treatment Modern microsurgical techniques, reinforced by corticosteroid therapy before and after surgery and careful control of temperature and water balance postoperatively, permit successful excision of all or part of the tumor in the majority of cases. Although smaller tumors can be removed by a transsphenoidal approach, attempts at total removal require craniotomy and remain a challenge because of frequent adherence of the mass to surrounding structures (Fahlbusch et al), as well as the potential for postoperative chemical meningitis from cyst contents. Partial removal practically ensures recurrence of the tumor, usually within 3 years, and the surgical risks of reoperation are considerable (10 percent mortality in large series). Stereotactic aspiration is sometimes a useful palliative procedure, as are focused radiation therapy and ventricular shunting in patients with solid, nonresectable tumors. Endocrine replacement is necessary for an indefinite time. We have several times seen a syndrome of prolonged but reversible delirium after tumor resection.
Glomus jugulare tumor This tumor is relatively rare but of interest to neurologists. It is one of the paragangliomas, so classified because of their location in the paraganglia of the sympathetic nervous system, thereby relating it to the carotid body tumor discussed next. It is a purplish red, highly vascular tumor composed of large epithelioid cells, arranged in an alveolar pattern and possessing an abundant capillary network. The tumor is thought to be derived from minute clusters of nonchromaffin paraganglioma cells (glomus bodies) found mainly in the adventitia of the dome of the jugular bulb (glomus jugulare) immediately below the floor of the middle ear, as well as in multiple other sites in and around the temporal bone. These clusters of cells are part of the chemoreceptor system that also includes the carotid, vagal, ciliary, and aortic bodies. Individuals living at high altitudes have a higher incidence than those at sea level owing to stimulation of the chemoreceptors from hypoxia. About one-quarter are familial, several genes having been identified.
The fully developed syndrome consists of partial deafness, facial palsy, dysphagia, and unilateral atrophy of the tongue combined with a vascular polyp in the external auditory meatus and a palpable mass below and anterior to the mastoid eminence, occasionally with a bruit that may be audible to the patient (“self-audible bruit”). Other neurologic manifestations are phrenic nerve palsy, numbness of the face, a Horner syndrome, cerebellar ataxia, and temporal lobe epilepsy. As with vestibular schwannoma, the availability of MRI has led to the earlier discovery of these tumors.
The jugular foramen is eroded and CSF protein may be elevated. Women are affected more than men, and the peak incidence is during middle adult life. The tumor grows slowly over a period of many years, sometimes 10 to 20 or more. Treatment in the past has consisted of radical mastoidectomy and removal of as much tumor as possible, followed by radiation. The combined intracranial and extracranial two-stage operation has resulted in the cure of many cases (Gardner et al). Embolization prior to resection is now also employed. A detailed account of this tumor can be found in the article by Kramer.