A Rare Case of Jugular Foramen Chondrosarcoma Removed in a Multidisciplinary Surgical Approach

October 1, 2025

North American Skull Base Society logo featuring a skull by an outline of North AmericaA conduit for the internal jugular vein and three cranial nerves, the jugular foramen is a remarkably rare location for a chondrosarcoma. Only 18 cases have been reported in the English literature. When a 54-year-old man presented at UTHealth Houston with dysphagia, dysphonia, and imbalance, brain CT and MRI imaging revealed a mass in the right jugular foramen with concern for schwannoma or paraganglioma.

“A team that included neurotology, neurosurgery, and head and neck surgical oncology worked together to remove the tumor, which had invaded and blocked the right internal jugular vein,” says Vivian Kaul, MD, chief of otology, neurotology, and lateral skull base and an assistant professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “Pathology confirmed the diagnosis of chondrosarcoma, a slow-growing tumor that accounts for only .15% of head and neck neoplasms and 6% of skull base tumors. We were able to remove it successfully, preserving the patient’s hearing, facial, and swallowing function.”

The patient underwent vestibular rehabilitation for postoperative vertigo and nystagmus and remained under observation with the option of radiosurgery in case of recurrence.

“Chondrosarcomas arising from the jugular foramen are rare, with limited treatment protocol and outcome data,” Dr. Kaul says. “The data that are available show a favorable prognosis.”

The case was presented at the 2025 North American Skull Base Surgery Society meeting held in February in New Orleans by Nathaniel Hunter, BS, a third-year student at McGovern Medical School who is training with Dr. Kaul.

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