

Minimally Invasive Cranial Base Surgery Program                


Endoscopic endonasal surgery includes the use of very small telescopes that are guided through the nose. Through this method our surgeons are able to resect tumors within the nasal cavity, skull base and brain. This approach prevents large facial scars, craniotomy and brain retraction. Damage to normal tissue around the tumor is significantly reduced allowing for a faster recovery time.

Endoscopic Endonasal Surgery is used to treat conditions such as:

Pituitary tumor (adenoma) Craniofacial fracture Neurofibroma
Acromegaly Craniofacial malformation Neurolemmoma (vestibular schwannoma)
Acoustic neuroma Craniopharyngioma Neuroma, acoustic
Adenoma (pituitary tumor) Cushing’s disease Nosebleeds (chronic and refractory bleeding)
Aneurysm cerebral (brain) Dermoid tumor Olfactory neuroblastoma
Angiofibroma Encephalocele Optic nerve compression
Apoplexy, pituitary Epidermoid tumor Osteoma
Arachnoid cyst Esthesioneuroblastoma Osteosarcoma
Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)/ fistula Fibrous displasia Papilloma, inverting
Basilar invagination (chiari malformation) Glomus tumor (paraganglioma) Paraganglioma (glomus tumor)
Benign sinonasal disease (antrochoanal polyp, chronic sinusitis, deviated nasal septum, inverted papilloma, juvenile nasal angiofibroma (JNA), mucocele, nasal polyps, osteoma, etc) Hemangioma Periorbital abscess
Brain aneurysm (cerebral) Hemangiopericytoma Petrous apex cholesteatoma
Brain tumor  Invasive fungal sinusitis Pituitary apoplexy
Cancer in the sinonasal area (adenocarcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, chondrosarcoma, esthesioneuroblastoma, hemangiopericytoma, neurendocrine carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, sarcomas and other types of carcinomas) Inverted papilloma Prolactinoma
Carcinoma, squamous cell Juvenile Nasal Angiofibroma (JNA) Rathke`s cleft cyst
Carotid stenosis Macroadenoma Rhabdomyosarcoma
Cerebral (brain) aneurys Malignant meningiom Schwannoma
Cerebrospinal fluid Meningioma Sinus thrombosis
Cerebrospinal fluid leak (CSF leak) Meningocele Sinus tumor
Cholesteatoma/Cholesterol granuloma Microadenoma Sinusitis, invasive fungal
Chondrosarcoma Mucocele Squamous cell carcinoma
Clival chordoma Neuroblastoma, olfactory Vestibular schwannoma


CT scan showing a tumor in the left nasal cavity.

A highly vascularized tumor in the left nasal cavity viewed with the endoscope

A view through the endoscope of the nasal cavity after the complete resection of a malignant sinonasal tumor. The roof of the nasal cavity and the membrane around the brain were removed to obtain tumor-free margins. The base of the anterior lobe of the brain is seen through the nasal cavity before the defect was reconstructed.

An anatomical dissection performed with the endoscope view to show the arteries and nerves behind the left maxillary sinus in the pterygopalatine fossa.

The surgical procedures are tailored to each patient. Preservation of important structures are optimized with our constant research at the anatomy laboratory.