Anterior Skull Base Tumors and Surgery

Anterior skull base surgery requires intimate knowledge of a highly complex anatomic region containing critical neurovascular structures. A wide array of pathologies can occur along the anterior cranial base, including meningiomas, esthesioneuroblastomas, pituitary adenomas, craniopharyngiomas, chondrosarcomas, and chordomas. Advancements in endoscopic sinus surgery have allowed many of these tumors to be effectively treated via an endoscopic endonasal technique. This approach obviates the need for large incisions causing cosmetic deformity, improves magnification of the surgical field, and offers a direct path to lesions thus avoiding retraction of structures such as the brain and nerves. Surgeons must understand the limitations of endoscopic techniques and consider open or combined open and endoscopic approaches when appropriate. Reconstructive anterior skull base techniques vary depending on the size and location of defects, along with factors such as intracranial pressure and patient co-morbidities. Large skull base defects require multilayer reconstruction that include a watertight primary dural repair with either synthetic or autologous tissue, followed by local vascularized tissue flaps. This review contains 8 figures, 2 videos, 4 tables and 33 references Key words: Anterior skull base, meningioma, esthesioneuroblastoma, chordoma, pituitary, CSF leak, nasosptal flap, dural repair, expanded endonasal approaches, endoscopic surgery