Expanded endonasal approaches to middle cranial fossa and posterior fossa tumors.
Skull base lesions that involve the middle and posterior cerebral fossae have been historically managed through extensive transcranial approaches. The development of endoscopic endonasal techniques during the past decade has made possible a vast array of alternative routes to the ventral skull base, providing the ability to expose lesions in difficult-to-access regions of the cranial base in a less invasive manner. In this review, the authors detail the endoscopic surgical anatomy and the operative nuances of the expanded endoscopic endonasal approaches to tumors of the middle and posterior cranial fossae. These techniques offer excellent exposure of the targeted regions yielding optimal resections, while avoiding the morbidity associated with transcranial surgical approaches.
Department of Neurological Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210-1240, USA. dprevedello@gmail.com
Daniel M
DM
Prevedello
Leo F S
LF
Ditzel Filho
Domenico
D
Solari
Ricardo L
RL
Carrau
Amin B
AB
Kassam
D035301:Cranial Fossa, Middle / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery*; D003388:Cranial Fossa, Posterior / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D015192:Infratentorial Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery*; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D019292:Skull Base Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*