Contralateral Supracerebellar-Transtentorial Approach for Posterior Mediobasal Temporal Cavernous Malformation Resection

Cerebral cavernous malformations are abnormal clusters of thin-walled sinusoidal vascular channels without intervening brain parenchyma. The most common presenting symptom is seizure, which results from hemosiderin deposition in surrounding tissues. Early surgical resection of these malformations confers the greatest likelihood of long-term seizure freedom. This operative video demonstrates the resection of a posterior medio-basal temporal cavernous malformation through a contralateral supracerebellar-transtentorial (cSCTT) approach. The patient, a 65-year-old woman, presented with a complex partial seizure with secondary generalization. On preoperative evaluation, she was neurologically intact. The risks and benefits of treatment alternatives, including observation, were explained to her. She consented to proceed with surgery to remove the cavernous malformation.