This allows our skull base surgeons to access tumors through the sinus and nasal cavities.ĭuring either of your endoscopic procedures, we may need to temporarily install a spinal drain to divert any excess cerebrospinal fluid, prevent infection, and help the area heal. Some tumors can be removed with the endoscopic endonasal approach. We may restore the area with healthy tissue from elsewhere in your body, if needed. Then we use microsurgical instruments beside the endoscope to cut out as much of the tumor as possible. An endoscope is a medical device that transmits images via a long, thin tube and helps us examine the tumor.Īfter making a small incision in the nose or eyebrow, we will insert an endoscope, which has a very small camera on the end. Skull base surgeons can remove many skull base tumors with a minimally invasive technique involving an endoscope. traditional brain surgery, known as an open craniotomy.Ī team of doctors works together to remove the tumor and achieve the best outcome for you.If so, there are two main approaches for anterior based tumors: The location of the tumor, its size, and how it affects you, will help us determine if surgery is the best treatment choice. Once tumors are removed, they are always sent to the lab for further analysis. In some cases, our doctors will perform a biopsy - the removal of a small piece of tissue - to help confirm a skull base tumor diagnosis. Because many tumors have strong visual characteristics, imaging often allows doctors to confirm a tumor type before any surgery has taken place. To see inside the skull and brain, physicians may order magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a bone scan, positron emission tomography (PET), or computed tomography (CT or CAT scan).Ī neuroradiologist, who specializes in problems of the head, neck, brain and spine, will review the images that a skull base surgeon may need. Specialized tests help doctors understand where and if a skull base tumor exists. If we suspect an anterior skull base tumor, we will test for:įor lateral skull base tumors, we will test your: Neurological Examĭoctors will also perofrm neurological exams to learn more about any changes to other parts of your body. To decide whether a patient has a skull base tumor, doctors will begin with a physical exam to better understand a patient’s symptoms and history. These include an overall physical exam, neurological tests, and imaging tests to look inside the skull and in or around the brain. Diagnosisĭetermining whether or not a patient has a skull base tumor takes several steps. Radiation therapy to the head, brain, or neck can also be a risk factor. No one knows the exact causes of skull base tumors, but certain genetic conditions or exposure to some chemicals may increase risk. erectile dysfunction (pituitary tumors),.reduced menstrual periods (pituitary tumors),.Esthesioneuroblastomas-Tumors found in the upper nasal and sinus cavities.They are also typically benign but can cause an increase or decrease in hormone levels. Pituitary tumors-Tumors in the pituitary gland, which is located in the area behind the nose.Meningiomas-A tumor found on the tissue covering the brain or spinal cord in the skull interior.Many tumors are benign (non-cancerous).Īnterior skull base tumors are found in the front of the skull base near where the eye sockets and sinuses are located.
Just because a tumor has grown inside your body does not necessarily mean you have cancer. It may be growing in the front - near the eye sockets in the nose and sinuses - or in the pituitary gland, among other locations. A tumor may be at the base of the brain or on the back of the skull. These tumors do not start in brain tissue but grow next to the brain and may put pressure on neural structures. Generally no, but it may be growing in a variety of places - not just inside the brain. Symptoms of skull base tumors vary and can develop slowly over time. They can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous) depending on the type. They typically grow inside the skull or nose/sinuses, although some grow on the exterior.
This mass often grows near the bottom of the brain or behind the eyes, nose, and ears.Ī variety of skull base tumors exist. Skull base tumors all have one thing in common: They are a mass located next to or involving the skull bones. View Travel Information COVID Informationįind information about coronavirus safety and treatment at U of U Health.