ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the anatomy, pathology, and management options for jugular foramen lesions. A number of pathological lesions and conditions can develop in the jugular foramen, all of which are quite rare. There is only a scant amount of data on the incidence and prevalence of jugular foramen lesions, but several hundred cases have been described in the literature. Surgical intervention in the region of the jugular foramen is often difficult and sometimes hazardous, due to the close proximity of nerves, arteries, veins and intracranial structures. The jugular foramina is the second largest openings in the skull base, after the foramen magnum. Intracranial meningiomas represent about 15–20% of all brain tumours. Basal meningiomas can penetrate the skull base through any of the natural foramina. The common malignancies that arise in the lung, breast, prostate, kidney, stomach and thyroid gland can metastasize to the skull base, including the jugular foramen.
