A smaller opening in the skull to remove large brain tumors near the smell nerves
Original title: Minimally Invasive Unilateral Supraorbital Approach for Large and Giant Olfactory Groove Meningiomas.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This surgery is already done in people at some centers, but the report is a small look back at past cases.
The short version
Doctors used a small cut along the eyebrow to take out large tumors, and most patients did well.
What was studied. Doctors looked back at the records of 20 patients who had a large or very large meningioma. A meningioma is a tumor that grows in the lining around the brain. These ones sat at the base of the brain, near the nerves for smell. All 20 had surgery through a small opening above one eyebrow.
What they found. In 18 patients, the surgeons removed the tumor as fully as they aimed to. Two patients had a smaller planned removal because of other health problems. The complication rate was 5%. One case involved a salt and fluid problem called SIADH, and it went away with medicine. No one had a spinal fluid leak, an infection, or lasting nerve damage. Ten patients had already lost some or all of their sense of smell before surgery, and it stayed the same after. A few patients who still had their sense of smell lost some of it.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: For people with a large tumor in this spot, a small eyebrow cut may be one way to do the surgery. It leaves a short scar, and patients in this report were happy with how it looked. If you are facing this surgery, you can ask your surgeon whether this approach fits your tumor and your health.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean the approach is proven better than other surgeries. It was a look back at records from only 20 patients, with no comparison group. The authors say larger, planned studies are still needed to see how people do over the long run. It is not a cure, and it does not change anything about drug or radiation treatment.
Source: PubMed, August 11, 2026 · Read the original
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