SKULL BASE SURGERY

SKULL BASE SURGERY

The skull is composed of bones and cartilage that form the face and the cranium, which surrounds the brain. The skull base is the bottom of the skull, which is crowded and complicated area with different openings that the spinal cord, many blood vessels, and nerves all pass through. The skull base is complex because every nerve in the body that carries signals to and from the brain crosses the skull base. Additionally, the large vessels that carry blood to and from the brain run through the skull base.

A variety of benign and malignant tumours are seen in skull base.
Benign tumors include acoustic neuroma, meningioma, schwannoma, glomus jugulare and vagale, epidermoid, pituitary tumors, and many others.
Malignant tumors managed with skull base surgery include metastatis, chondrosarcoma, chordoma, endolymphatic sac tumors and others.

Skull base surgery will need skills and technology. Operating microscope microscope with a stable, anti-vibratory base mount is important for proper visualization of vital structures. A high powered drill with various burrs is essential. Delicate microsurgical instruments in a wide variety of sizes and angles, such as microforceps, hooks, scoops, scissors, and probes, are required. Cranial nerve monitoring is often used in skull base surgery.