Heavily T2 weighted MR assessment of fornical injury after anterior interhemispheric approach for large suprasellar tumors

Fornical injury in transforaminal approach is well known. Its injury in the anterior interhemispheric approach (AIA) has been rarely highlighted. We report 2 cases with a large suprasellar tumor who underwent AIA. Postoperative heavily T2 weighted reversed (T2R) MR images demonstrated its unilateral injury. The clinical significance of symptom-free fornical injury after AIA is discussed. Cases 1 and 2 were a 15 year-old girl with a meningioma and a 49-year-old woman with a craniopharyngioma, respectively. They underwent AIA. Postoperative T2R images revealed unilateral fornical crus atrophy. They did not present associated memory deficits. Case 1 had the injury of both fornical column and anterior commissure. They were speculatively torn by intra-operative lateral retraction of the frontal lobes. Case 2 had unilateral atrophy of the mammillary body and postcommissural fornix, which were probably caused by ischemic damage related to surgical manipulation, since case 2 had an associated anterior thalamic infarct. During the Operation for large suprasellar tumors, excessive laterally directed brain retraction should be avoided, since such manipulation may easily tear the overstretched anterior commissure and fornical column. Once we notice or suspect fornical injury an MR studies in cases of re-operation, we have to choose a surgical approach and operative manipulation to preserve an intact fornix. The MR evaluation of fornix should be included in the peri-operative radiological assessment, since patients with unilateral fornical injury were free of memory disturbance, and T2R imaging is a useful MR sequence for depicting the anatomy related to the fornix. (author)