Anatomy and Surgical Approaches to Lateral Ventricle Tumors

In this chapter, we are reviewing the surgical management of primary CNS-tumors located in the lateral ventricles of the brain. We start with an overview of the spectrum of individual pathologies, clinical signs, and symptoms and touch upon possible imaging-based classifications. After a short recap of the gross anatomy, we take the most frequent tumor of the lateral ventricle, choroid plexus meningioma, as a suitable example to discuss key surgical approaches to the atrium and we discuss pros and cons as well as associated complications of each approach. Based on our experience, we recommend pursuing a trans-sulcal corridor via a superior parietal lobule access for lesions located on the right side, whereas we prefer a parasagittal occipito-parietal access for tumors on the left side. Lastly, we go over the surgical management of a second tumor type, subependymoma, to present its surgical planning and resection strategy.