A 62-year-old woman consulted due to poor vision in the left eye. Brain MRI showed a large tumor in the left clinoidal area, near the center of the brain, and that the tumor is encircling the internal carotid artery, one of the major blood vessels supplying the brain. 

The patient underwent surgery to remove the tumor. Since the surgeon knew at the start that the internal carotid artery was involved, it was decided to remove the majority of the tumor and leave just a small portion behind, the one surrounding the artery. Trying to take out the entire tumor would be too risky and may cause stroke or death. 

The surgery went according to plan, and the patient was discharged after a few days. Her vision improved even if there was a small amount of tumor left behind, because the majority had already been removed and the pressure was released from the optic nerve. The patient also underwent radiation therapy to treat the small residual tumor, to prevent it from growing in size.