[Anatomical landmarks of skull base and safety of the skull base surgery].
OBJECTIVE
In order to improve the safety of skull base surgery and to completely resect the skull base tumors, the anatomical landmarks of skull base were studied.


METHODS
29 cases of skull base surgery were performed between 1992 and 2002, and their clinical data were retrospectively analysed. The anatomical landmarks of cranial base, such as comb, pterygoid process, spine of temporal bone, styloid process, and internal caroid artery, were analysed in preoperative diagnosis and operative treatment of various kinds of skull base tumors.


RESULTS
In the early stages, because of lacking the knowledge of anatomical landmarks of the skull base, the surgery lasted longer, part of skull base tumors remained and operative blood lose was much more than that in later stage. In the later stage, no operative death and severe complications were found in 26 cases which underwent various kinds of skull base surgery. The survival rates at 3 and 5 years were 72.2% and 35.7% respectively for malignant tumors.


CONCLUSIONS
Comb, pterygoid process, spine of temporal bone, styloid process, internal caroid artery and their adjacent structures were important anatomical landmarks for operative treatment of anterior, middle and lateral cranial base tumors. It was important to know the anatomical landmarks to ensure the safety of the skull base surgery.
Liu
Ye-hai
YH
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China. yehailiu2003@yahoo.com.cn
Zhang
Kun-ling
KL
Yang
Ke-lin
KL
Wan
Jing-hai
JH
Yang
Jian-ming
JM
Lu
Di-hong
DH
Qiu
Jian-xin
JX
Fang
Ping
P
Tong
Bu-sheng
BS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019291:Skull Base / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000601:surgery; D019292:Skull Base Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery