Skip to main content

Endoscopic approaches to skull base malignancies affecting the anterior fossa

Research Authors
Giuliano Silveira-Bertazzo , Ruichun Li , Thaïs C Rejane-Heim , Rafael Martinez-Perez , Thiago Albonette-Felicio , Ahmed G Sholkamy Diab , Mohammad S Mahmoud Mady , Douglas A Hardesty , Ricardo L Carrau , Daniel M Prevedello
Research Date
Research Member
Research Abstract

Anterior skull base malignancies are rare and comprise distinct histological entities. Surgery encompasses the traditional craniofacial resections (CFR), and more recently, endoscopic endonasal approaches (EEA) or a hybrid cranioendoscopic (CEA) technique. Although the CFR is still considered the "gold-standard;" there is growing evidence supporting that EEA yield equivalent oncologic outcomes with less morbidity in well-selected cases. Therefore, this article aims to review the current state-of-art in addressing anterior cranial base malignancies using expanded endoscopic endonasal approaches (EEA) with particular references to surgical anatomy and nuances of hybrid cranioendoscopic techniques. Cadaveric dissections and illustrative cases are presented to detail our current surgical technique allied with tailored adjuvant therapies, and treatment strategies are further discussed based on tumor histology.