Head and Neck Surgery

Skull Base Surgery

Tumors (both benign and malignant) and several other conditions may affect the skull base. Most common among these are brain tumors, pituitary tumors, cerebrospinal fluid leak, acoustic neuromas, and meningiomas. Developmental abnormalities, trauma and infections may also involve the base of skull. Treating skull base tumors and conditions may be difficult because they are near critical nerves and blood vessels in the brain, eyes, head, neck, and spinal cord.

The surgery is usually performed endoscopically, through the nose, without cutting the face or skull. Other minimally invasive approaches involve accessing the brain or skull base via a small incision in the eyebrow or from behind the ear. In some cases, external surgery may be necessary.

Whatever the approach, state-of-the-art operating room equipment and facilities with nerve monitoring, intraoperative computerized navigation systems and microscopes ensure the surgeon's ability to manage skull base lesions with added patient safety. Microvascular free tissue transfer is used for reconstruction of the cranial base defect when required.

In addition to surgery, radiation and chemotherapy may be part of the recommended therapy.