title: Radiosurgery for miscellaneous skull base tumors.
abstract: Stereotactic radiosurgery has become an integral part of conventional and advanced skull base surgery. Despite the advances in skull base techniques, the goal of total resection of such tumors is often problematic and associated with significant risk to critical structures of the skull base, including those within the cavernous sinus, those in the petrous apex, and the jugular bulb. Aggressive resection of such tumors sometimes results in severe adverse neurological events, ranging from permanent extraocular movement deficits to hearing loss, facial weakness, and difficulties with vagal and glossopharyngeal function. Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a primary alternative option for these patients. It minimizes the risks of open surgical techniques and preserves existing cranial nerve function in most patients and achieves tumor growth arrest. Adjuvant radiosurgery is used for larger tumors after their initial partial resection. Gamma Knife radiosurgery becomes an adjuvant tool to provide longterm tumor growth control of a significantly reduced tumor volume.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery and The Center for Image-Guided Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pa., USA.
authors.forename: L Dade
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Lunsford
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Niranjan
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Sait
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sirin
authors.forename: Amin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kassam
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kondziolka
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Flickinger
mesh_terms: D002813:Chondrosarcoma / Q000601:surgery; D002817:Chordoma / Q000601:surgery; D003397:Craniopharyngioma / Q000601:surgery; D005918:Glomus Tumor / Q000601:surgery; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000379:methods; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000601:surgery; D016634:Radiosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D012888:Skull Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*