The skull is made up of various bones and cartilages, forming the face and the cranium which is the bony structure that surrounds the brain. The bottom of this cranium is the base formed by five bones. The skull base also includes the roof of the eye sockets, the roof of the nasal cavity, the sinuses, and the inner part of the ear. It is quite a complicated area, having multiple openings giving way to the spinal cord, blood vessels, and neural structures.

Skull-based surgery aims to eliminate cancerous and non-cancerous growths or tumors located beneath the brain or near the upper vertebrae. Due to the challenging location, this procedure can be conducted using a minimally invasive endoscopic approach. By inserting an endoscope and specialized instruments through the nose and mouth, the growths can be safely removed. Doing this operation requires a team of ENT surgeons, a maxillofacial surgeon, and a neurosurgeon.

Secondly, these can be removed by open skull procedures. The type of procedure to be used depends on the type and location of the growth.

Common skull base surgeries:

• Congenital cysts with mass effect
• Infection with abscess cavity
• Pituitary tumors
• Chordomas of the skull base
• Benign tumors of the dura (meningiomas), schwannomas of the cranial
• nerves.
• Microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgias and hemifacial
• spasm.
• Cranipharyngiomas around the Sella
• Cerebral aneurysms
• Arteriovenous malformation
• Craniosynostosis