Anterior skull base approaches have included endoscopic or open microsurgical approaches for intracranial pathologies. However, discussion of a combined hybrid, cranioendoscopic approach, leveraging the benefits of both techniques, has been limited. Here we describe a case of a combined endoscopic, endonasal, and open microsurgical frontotemporal approach for resection of a complex anterior skull base lesion. A 62-year-old man with a large meningioma extending intradurally through the cribiform plate and sphenoethmoidal sinuses underwent a cranioendoscopic resection. Surgical techniques, including repair of the anterior skull base defect as well as complication avoidance and the coordination of multiple surgeons, are discussed.

The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/Ti9tUUdWgJc.

Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) presenting with epilepsy significantly impacts patient quality of life, and it should be considered very much a seizure disorder. Although hemorrhage prevention is the primary treatment aim of AVM surgery, seizure control should also be at the forefront of therapeutic management. Several hemodynamic and morphological characteristics of AVM have been identified to be associated with seizure presentation. This includes increased AVM flow, presence of long pial draining vein, venous outflow obstruction, and frontotemporal location, among other aspects. With the advent of high-throughput image processing and quantification methods, new radiographic attributes of AVM-related epilepsy have been identified. With respect to therapy, several treatment approaches are available, including conservative management or interventional modalities; this includes microsurgery, radiosurgery, and embolization or a combination thereof. Many studies, especially in the domain of microsurgery and radiosurgery, evaluate both techniques with respect to seizure outcomes. The advantage of microsurgery lies in superior AVM obliteration rates and swift seizure response. In addition, by incorporating electrophysiological monitoring during AVM resection, adjacent or even remote epileptogenic foci can be identified, leading to extended lesionectomy and improved seizure control. Radiosurgery, despite resulting in reduced AVM obliteration and prolonged time to seizure freedom, avoids the risks of surgery altogether and may provide seizure control through various antiepileptic mechanisms. Embolization continues to be used as an adjuvant for both microsurgery and radiosurgery. In this study, the authors review the latest imaging techniques in characterizing AVM-related epilepsy, in addition to reviewing each treatment modality.

Tumors of the infratemporal fossa (ITF) are surgically formidable lesions due to their deep location and proximity to critical neurovascular structures. Selecting the optimal surgical corridor for a giant ITF lesion with extensive medial and lateral extension can be challenging due to the limited surgical freedom offered by each individual approach. In this operative video, we demonstrate a case of a 44-year-old female with a giant ITF schwannoma with intracranial extension and erosion of the central skull base. Although we considered several surgical approaches, including a standard binostril endoscopic endonasal approach and an endoscopic Denker’s approach, we eventually chose a combined endoscopic endonasal and sublabial (Caldwell-Luc) transmaxillary approach. This combined approach provides significantly greater surgical freedom than a pure endonasal route to the lateral ITF. The sublabial Caldwell-Luc corridor provides a more direct “head-on” trajectory to the target of the lateral ITF than the pure endonasal route. This combined approach provides a multiportal, multicorridor access, allowing for more surgical freedom and preservation of the piriform aperture and nasolacrimal duct. This case illustrates the versatility of the combined endoscopic endonasal and sublabial transmaxillary approach for giant ITF tumors with significant lateral extension. The technical nuances and surgical concepts are demonstrated in this operative video manuscript.

The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/gy-pkjLdDgE.

Craniopharyngioma is a rare and benign intracranial tumor of the sellar and suprasellar region. Historically, these tumors were mostly accessed through transcranial corridors and resected with microsurgical techniques. Endoscopic endonasal surgery has recently gained popularity in the treatment of these tumors and has shown at least comparable results to transcranial approaches. The endoscopic endonasal approach provides direct midline access through a transplanum transtuberculum corridor and gives excellent visualization of the undersurface of the optic chiasm to allow safe bimanual sharp dissection of the tumor from the hypothalamus. In this operative video, we demonstrate the case of a 56-year-old female who had a complex craniopharyngioma with solid and cystic components extending superolaterally into the right frontal lobe. This lesion was invasive and partially encased the right optic nerve, optic chiasm, and anterior communicating artery complex. Although a traditional transcranial approach could have been utilized, we elected for an endoscopic endonasal approach for a maximal safe near-total resection, preserving the neurovascular structures. The patient underwent radiation therapy with favorable regression of the residual tumor on subsequent imaging studies. This case illustrates the feasibility of a combined strategy of maximal safe endoscopic endonasal resection followed by early radiation therapy for a complex, invasive cystic and solid craniopharyngioma. The technical nuances of safe bimanual microsurgical dissection of tumor adhesions off of critical neurovascular structures are demonstrated.

The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/z0AINLpRZGs.