Endoscopic endonasal approach for the treatment of anterior skull base tumours

Abstract

Introduction: The increasing expertise of transnasal endoscopic surgery has recently expanded its indications to include the management of tumours affecting the skull base. We report our experience with endoscopic management of these tumours, emphasising the indications and surgical technique used.

Material and method: A retrospective analysis was performed of patients treated by an endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) in our department from 2004 until 2011.

Results: Sixty-three patients were analysed. We performed an endoscopic craniofacial resection in 32 patients (51%), an expanded EEA in 22 (35%), a transclival approach in 6 (9%) and a transpterygoid approach in 3 (5%). The most frequent benign tumour was nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (24%), while adenocarcinoma (30%) was the most common among malignancies. Mean follow-up was 26 months (range: 6 to 84 months). The complication rate was 5% and resection was complete in 56 cases (89%). The 5-year overall-survival was 71% in patients with malignant tumours and the effectiveness was 100% in benign tumours.

Conclusion: Our results support that endoscopic surgery, when properly planned, represents a valid alternative to standard surgical approaches for the management of skull base tumours.