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¹The Harvey H. Ammerman Neurosurgical Laboratory, Dept of Neurosurgeryi George Washington University, Washington, DC
²Selcuk University School of Medicine, Dept of Neurosurgery, Konya, Turkey
³The Harvey H. Ammerman Neurosurgical Laboratory, Dept of Neurosurgery, George Washington University, Washington, DC The far-lateral transcondylar approach is the method of choice for accessing lesions of the lower clivus, anterior foramen magnum, upper cervical spine and ventrolateral brainstem. This approach requires rapid identification and mobilization of the vertebral artery. in this article, we describe our use of cadaver dissections to identify landmarks that allow the surgeon to quickly locate the vertebral artery and its point of penetration through the dura. A thorough knowledge of the regional anatomy and skillful use of bony anatomic landmarks is required to obtain good results when performing the far-lateral transcondylar approach. Keywords : Anatomy, far-lateral transcondylar approach, landmarks, vertebral artery