title: Complications of craniofacial surgery for tumors involving the anterior cranial base.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the risk factors for postoperative complications among patients undergoing craniofacial resection for the treatment of anterior cranial base tumors, a retrospective analysis of patients treated in University of Tokyo Hospital between September 1987 and November 1996 was conducted.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-nine patients underwent 33 craniofacial resections for tumors involving the anterior cranial base. Twenty-three of the 29 patients had malignant tumors and 6 patients had benign tumors. Anterior craniofacial resection was performed using a combination of intracranial and extracranial approaches. Radiotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy were administrated to some patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Severe intracranial infections were more common among patients who underwent partial frontal lobectomies (P < 0.03). These infections occurred only in patients who had been treated previously with a craniotomy (P < 0.02) and a total radiation dose of > or =60 Gy (P = 0.06). Neither management of the extracranial structures nor methods of reconstruction of the cranial base showed significant correlation with major postoperative complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with previous reports, craniofacial resection has become a relatively safe and effective procedure for the treatment of tumors involving the anterior cranial base. However, additional care should be taken with patients who have experienced a previous craniotomy, frontal lobe involvement, or radiotherapy with a total dose of > or =60 Gy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nibu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawahara
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugasawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakatsuka
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003399:Craniotomy; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005147:Facial Bones / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012886:Skull / Q000601:surgery*; D019292:Skull Base Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D016019:Survival Analysis