Overview:

There are many tumours and other conditions that affect the skull base. These include brain tumors, pituitary tumors, acoustic neuromas, meningioma and nasal tumours. Developmental abnormalities such as weakness in the skull base resulting in herniation of the brain as well as infection can occur.
The skull consists of several bones which form the floor of the cranial cavity and the roof of the nose and orbit. Treating skull base tumors is challenging because they are very close to critical nerves and blood vessels in the brain, head, neck, and spinal cord.

Medical Treatment:

There are a variety of surgical approaches to removing skull base tumors, including minimally invasive endonasal endoscopic surgery. Endonasal endoscopic surgery uses an endoscope (an endoscope is a device with a light attached that is used to look inside), with a high-resolution video camera to view and access tumors and lesions through the nasal cavity. On rare occasions a combined approach is required (through the skull and through the nose) to access tumours. Dr Ananda along with Neurosurgeons removes skull base tumours endoscopically in the majority of cases. In less than 20% of cases a combined cranio/facial approach is used.