Endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery

Abstract

Skull base surgery has been transformed by the development of endoscopic techniques. Endoscopic procedures were first used for pituitary surgery and were then gradually extended to other regions. A wide range of diseases are now accessible to endoscopic skull base surgery. The major advantage of the endoscopic endonasal approach is that it provides direct anatomical access to a large number of intracranial and paranasal sinus lesions, avoiding the sequelae of a skin incision, facial bone flap or craniotomy, and brain retraction, which is inevitable with conventional neurosurgical incisions, resulting in decreased morbidity and mortality and, indirectly, decreased length of hospital stay and management costs. Moreover, the increasing number of publications in this field illustrates the growing interest in these techniques. This paper provides a review of endoscopic skull base surgery. The indications and general principles of endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery are described. Progress in exposure and especially reconstruction techniques is described. This progress now allows more extensive resections, while maintaining acceptable morbidity. The limits of this surgery are also discussed; in particular, although this surgery is often described as "minimally invasive", it is not completely devoid of morbidity.