Abstract Objective: To review the literature on the diagnosis and treatment of vestibular schwannoma. Methods: Task force members were educated on knowledge synthesis methods, including electronic database search, review and selection of relevant citations, and critical appraisal of selected studies. Articles written in English or Portuguese on vestibular schwannoma were eligible for inclusion. The American College of Physicians’ guideline grading system and the American Thyroid Association’s guideline criteria were used for critical appraisal of evidence and recommendations for therapeutic interventions. Results: The topics were divided into 2 parts: (1) Diagnosis – audiologic, electrophysiologic tests, and imaging; (2) Treatment – wait and scan protocols, surgery, radiosurgery/radiotherapy, and systemic therapy. Conclusions: Decision making in VS treatment has become more challenging. MRI can diagnose increasingly smaller tumors, which has disastrous consequences for the patients and their families. It is important to develop an individualized approach for each case, which highly depends on the experience of each surgical team.

O conhecimento anatomocirúrgico da artéria esfenopalatina (AEP) e de seus ramos é de fundamental importância para o sucesso no tratamento endoscópico da epistaxe posterior. Contudo, essa complexa variação anatômica da irrigação da cavidade nasal ainda é um desafio cirúrgico. OBJETIVO: Descrever a anatomia endoscópica da AEP em cadáveres humanos. CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODOS: Estudo de coorte histórica com corte transversal de abril de 2010 a agosto de 2011. Foi descrita a presença da crista etmoidal da lâmina perpendicular do osso palatino, a localização do forame esfenopalatino principal (FEP) e acessório (FEA) e quantificados os ramos que emergem dos forames. RESULTADOS: Foram analisadas 56 fossas nasais. A crista etmoidal estava presente em 96% dos casos e na maioria das vezes anterior ao FEP. O FEP se localizava na transição do meato médio para o meato superior em todos os casos. O FEA estava presente em 12 casos. Foi mais prevalente a presença de um único tronco arterial bilateral na emergência do FEP (43%). Em outros casos, observaram-se três (n = 8) e dois (n = 5) troncos arteriais, emergindo do FEP bilateralmente. Observou-se que na maioria dos casos um único tronco se emergia do FEA. CONCLUSÕES: A anatomia da artéria esfenopalatina é bastante variável. O conhecimento das possíveis variações anatômicas implica no sucesso do tratamento da epistaxe grave.

Knowledge on the anatomy of the sphenopalatine artery (SPA) and its branches is fundamental for the success of the endoscopic treatment of posterior epistaxis. However, the complex anatomical variations seen in the irrigation of the nasal cavity poses a significant surgical challenge. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to describe the endoscopic anatomy of the SPA in human cadavers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a contemporary cross-sectional cohort study carried out between April 2010 and August 2011. The presence of the ethmoidal crest on the lamina perpendicular to the palatine bone and the location of the principal sphenopalatine foramen (PSF) and the accessory sphenopalatine foramen (ASF) were analyzed in 28 cadavers, and the branches emerging from the foramens were counted. RESULTS: Fifty-six nasal fossae were analyzed. The ethmoidal crest was present in 96% of the cases and was located anteriorly to the PSF in most cases. The PSF was located in the transition area between the middle and the superior meatus in all cases. The ASF was seen in 12 cases. Most nasal fossae (n = 12) presented a single bilateral arterial trunk emerging from the PSF. In other cases, three (n = 8) or two (n = 5) arterial trunks emerged bilaterally from the PSF. In most cases, the SPA emerged as a single trunk from the ASP. CONCLUSIONS: The anatomy of the SPA is highly variable. The success of the treatment for severe epistaxis relies heavily on adequate knowledge of the possible anatomical variations of the sphenopalatine artery.

We present a case of hepatectomy in a patient with liver's lymphangioma associated with Situs Inversus Totalis. The first case of medical literature.