Expanded Endoscopic Endonasal Approach and Surgical Adjuncts for Maximizing Extent of Resection in Craniopharyngioma Patients: Technical Nuances and Outcomes from a Contemporary Preliminary Surgical Series following Completion of Fellowship Training

Abstract

Introduction: Expanded endoscopic endonasal transtuberculum transchiasmatic sulcus approach is increasingly used for resection of craniopharyngiomas. Radical safe resection requires adjuncts toward expanding the corridor to permit neurovascular preservation and should be performed by well-trained surgeons in high volume centers. We aimed to define these adjuncts in a step-wise fashion using anatomical dissections and demonstrate their application in an illustrative challenging preliminary series derived from the senior author's first 24 months’ experience post completion of skull base fellowship with clinical outcomes.