Surgical techniques for carcinoma of the temporal bone

Abstract

Malignant tumors of the temporal bone are rarely seen in the daily practice of otology. Although there is a lack of consensus as to the most appropriate treatment, the most frequently reported treatment is surgical resection. As a pathologically tumor-free margin could improve survival, the establishment of surgical techniques is extremely important in the management of carcinoma of the temporal bone. Here, we present two representative cases of carcinoma of the temporal bone; one was squamous cell carcinoma of the external auditory canal (stage T2N0M0) that was treated using lateral temporal bone resection, and the other was squamous cell carcinoma of the middle ear (stage T4N0M0) that was treated using subtotal temporal bone resection. Surgical techniques and preoperative planning of the surgeries based on the images are discussed.