title: [Endoscopic skull base surgery under the guidance of image navigation technology].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the feasibility of image navigation technology in endoscopic skull base surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study consisted of 75 patients who underwent the endoscopic operations with the help of the image navigation system by the same surgeon between March 2010 and March 2013. The time to prepair image navigation system, identifying anatomical structure, complications, tumor resection, and follow-up results were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The application of image navigation technology in the endoscopic skull base operations was both safe and reliable for delineation of tumors and identification of vital structures hidden or encased by the tumors, such as internal carotid artery, optic canal, comb, saddle bottom, foramen rotundum, foramen ovale, foramen lacerum, jugular foramen, cerebral dura mater. The tumor was removed completely, subtotally, or partially. All patients were successfully registered with accuracy, and the preoperative time was 8-15 minutes for preparation, 11 minutes in average. The target error was less than or equal to 1.5 mm. With guidance of the image navigation system, all patients were successfully operated on without serious complication. There were 13 cases with anterior skull base tumor, all were removed completely. There were 28 cases with sella region tumor, 21 totally resected, 7 subtotally resected. There were 20 cases with petroclival region tumor, 12 totally resected, 5 subtotally resected, 3 partially resected. There were 14 cases with pterygopalatine fossa and/or infratemporal fossa region tumor, 11 totally resected, 3 subtotally resected. All patients were available for follow-up (mean = 26 months) except 6 cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Image navigation technology can be applied in endoscopic skull base operations with advantages of accurately locating, clearly marking, significantly decreasing incidence of complications, and maximally removing the lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China. Email: zhangqiuhang@163.com.
authors.forename: Qiuhang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Haili
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Mingxia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Lianjie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Pu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: JinFei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal; D004724:Endoscopy; D006801:Humans; D056739:Pterygopalatine Fossa; D019291:Skull Base / Q000601:surgery*; D013701:Temporal Bone