Choice of neurosurgical approach in the treatment of cranial base lesions

Abstract

The authors describe a series of surgical approaches that they found particularly useful for the exposure and removal of lesions involving the skull base. These are: 1) fronto-naso-orbital approach; 2) fronto-temporo-orbito-zygomatic approach; 3) subtemporal transpetrosal approach; 4) temporo-suboccipital transpetrosal approach (retrolabyrinthine presigmoid; transsigmoid; translabyrintine amend transcochlear presigmoid); 5) dorsolateral approach to the foramen magnum and lower clivus. As the approaches are complex and carry potential risks of morbidity, not only it is important to have a good knowledge of basic anatomy but also to closely follow the indications for each one. In this type of surgery where it is often difficult to achieve complete removal of the lesion by a single route of attack, more than one approach may be employed in different surgical steps. Finally, all these approaches demand extremely scrupulous surgical reconstruction to avoid dangerous postoperative complications that may jeopardize the previous work of the surgeon.