Skull Base Surgery
Protecting This Critical Area
Your brain sits on your skull base, an area filled with delicate nerves important for seeing, hearing, balance and facial movement and sensation. Skull base tumors occur at this crowded area through which your brain stem and spinal cord – as well as many blood vessels and nerves – pass through. Our team of skull base neurosurgeons have many years of experience in skillfully removing these tumors, using both open and minimally invasive surgical approaches.
Our Team
Because this area is hard to reach and see, the Skull Base Surgery program brings together an integrated, collaborative team of experts from neurosurgery, otolaryngology – head and neck surgery, neuro-ophthalmology, medical oncology and radiation oncology and the CyberKnife team to provide total care … from initial diagnosis through surgical intervention and post-operative follow-up.
Neurosurgeons Dr. Yaron Moshel, Dr. Ronald Benitez and Dr. Fabio Frisoli specialize in treating acoustic neuromas,pituitary tumorscraniopharyngiomas, skull base meningiomas, metastases, trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm, encephaloceles, tegmen defects and aneurysms. They employ the most advanced open and minimally invasive techniques – including microsurgery, radiosurgery and cranial base approaches – to provide the most effective, safe care … and the best outcomes.
Diagnosing Skull Base Conditions
Conditions affecting the floor of the cranial cavity can be difficult to diagnosis given the proximity to so many other anatomical areas including the face, neck, ears, nose and throat. Most experience some or all of the following symptoms:
Depending on the area affected, these symptoms may be linked to nerve compression, fluid buildup or interrupted blood flow due to the presence of a tumor or other cranial condition. The type of symptom often tells us which area, or compartment, of the brain is affected.
Ultimate diagnosis involves analysis of patient history and data gathered using MRIs, CTs, PET scans, blood work, MRA, angiography and/or endoscopy of the sinuses as well as evaluations designed to gauge balance, vision and hearing.
Surgery
Skull base surgery can be done two ways. Although the preferred method is endoscopic, open surgery is also an option, depending on the type of growth that needs to be removed and its location:
