title: Craniofacial resection for anterior skull base tumours.
abstract: This study presents a series of 10 patients with anterior skull base tumours, treated by a team of neurosurgeons and head- and neck surgeons. The series included 7 malignant tumours of the nose and paranasal sinuses and 1 retinoblastoma, all with intracranial extension through the lamina cribrosa. There were also 2 patients with an anterior base meningioma, growing into the ethmoid sinus and the nasal cavity. 8 tumours were resected by a combined bifrontal craniotomy and uni- or bilateral rhinotomy. In 2 cases a bifrontal craniotomy alone without facial incision sufficed. The skull base was closed with a pediculated pericranial flap and a split-thickness free skin graft underneath. There were no postoperative problems of wound infection, CSF-leakage or meningitis. Recurrent tumour growth or systemic metastasis occurred in 5 out of 7 patients with malignant tumours, 6 months to 2 years postoperatively. The related literature and especially questions of operative indications and technique, including different possibilities of closure and reconstruction of the skull base, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University Hospital Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goffin
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fossion
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Plets
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mommaerts
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vrielinck
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000556:secondary; D000328:Adult; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000556:secondary; D003399:Craniotomy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D008579:Meningioma / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009669:Nose Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D010255:Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D012888:Skull Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate