title: Endoscopic surgery in the skull base unit: experience in the first 72 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A multidisciplinary team is essential to develop and expand the indications in endonasal endoscopic skull base surgery. The aim of this study was to present our experience in a group of patients with skull base lesions treated using endonasal endoscopic approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 2008 to January 2012, 72 patients with skull base involvement were diagnosed and treated in our centre.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean patient age was 53 years. The different pathologies included 36 pituitary adenomas, 10 cerebrospinal fluid leaks and 5 inverted papillomas as the most frequent pathologies. We performed a transsphenoidal transellar approach in 45 cases, a transmaxillary transpterygoid approach in 4 cases and a transnasal expanded approach in 6 cases. We performed an ethmoidal/sphenoidal approach in 12 patients and a Draf IIb/III procedure in four cases. Total resection was achieved in 61% of patients with pituitary adenomas, subtotal in 22% and partial in 17%. Successful repair was achieved in 86% of CSF leaks. No recurrences were observed in patients with inverted papilloma. Complications were observed in 21 patients (29%), 6 being major complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our centre stresses the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery.
authors: Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, España. jgras@santpau.cat
authors: Juan R
authors: JR
authors: Gras-Cabrerizo
authors: Fernando
authors: F
authors: Muñoz-Hernández
authors: Joan R
authors: JR
authors: Montserrat-Gili
authors: Pere
authors: P
authors: Tresserras-Ribo
authors: Manuel
authors: M
authors: de Juan-Delago
authors: Susan M
authors: SM
authors: Webb
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Aulinas-Masó
authors: Beatriz
authors: B
authors: Martín-Huerta
authors: Joan
authors: J
authors: Molet-Teixidó
authors: Miquel
authors: M
authors: Quer-Agustí
authors: Humbert
authors: H
authors: Massegur-Solench
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013517:Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D019291:Skull Base / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult