Complications of skull base surgery: an analysis of 30 cases.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the risk factors for perioperative complications among patients undergoing craniofacial resection for the treatment of skull base tumors.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis.


METHODS
The study group comprised 29 patients with skull base tumors (22 malignant and 7 benign) who underwent 30 craniofacial resections at Hokkaido University Hospital between 1989 and 2006. Of these cases, 21 had undergone prior treatment by radiation (16 cases), surgery (7 cases), or chemotherapy (1 case). Moreover, 19 needed extended resection involving the dura (11 cases), brain (5 cases), orbit (12 cases), hard palate (5 cases), skin (3 cases), or cavernous sinus (2 cases).


METHODS
Perioperative complications and risk factor associated with their incidence.


RESULTS
Perioperative complications occurred in 12 patients (40%; 13 cases). There was a significant difference between complication rates for cases with and without prior therapy (52.4% vs. 11.1%). The complication rate for dural resection cases was 81.8%. There was a significant difference between complication rates for cases with and without dura resection. No postoperative mortality was reported.


CONCLUSIONS
Craniofacial resection is a safe and effective treatment for skull base tumors. However, additional care is required in patients with extended resection (especially dural) and those who have undergone prior therapy.
Sakashita
Tomohiro
T
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
Oridate
Nobuhiko
N
Homma
Akihiro
A
Nakamaru
Yuji
Y
Suzuki
Fumiyuki
F
Hatakeyama
Hiromitsu
H
Taki
Shigenari
S
Sawamura
Yutaka
Y
Yamamoto
Yuhei
Y
Furuta
Yasushi
Y
Fukuda
Satoshi
S