Skull base diseases include many different diseases, from tumors to congenital diseases, which involve the skull base where the brain sits in the skull and require surgical treatment.
How are skull base diseases treated?
The most common formsof skull base disorders are tumoral pathologies (cancers and other tumors, metastases, ...). However, in addition to brain tumors, other diseases involving the skull base include vascular diseases of the brain such as cerebrovascular bubbles (= aneurysms), cerebrovascular tangles (= arteriovenous malformations), congenital and acquired head deformities and developmental disorders, traumatic diseases (caused by blows, bumps, traffic accidents, etc.) and mass diseases due to infections.
How does the treatment process of skull base diseases progress?
In skull base diseases, as in other diseases, it is important to first make a correct and detailed diagnosis, determine the effects of the disease, evaluate the natural course and specify possible treatments. In terms of neurosurgery, surgical intervention is usually performed due to the compression of the brain, the effect on cerebral vessels and cranial nerves, dysfunction and possible risks.
The skull base is a crowded and complex area containing different openings through which many blood vessels and nerves of the spinal cord pass. Skull base surgery can be performed to remove benign/cancerous growths or abnormalities in the lower part of the brain, the base of the skull or the uppermost vertebrae in the spine. Since it is very difficult to see and reach this area in skull base disease surgery, it can be performed through a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure by intervening through natural openings in the skull through the nose or mouth or by making a small hole just above the eyebrow. This type of surgery requires teamwork involving ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeons, neurosurgeons and radiologists.
What is the recovery period for skull base diseases?
The treatmentof skull base diseases is usually surgical. In such cases, the patient's recovery time varies according to the patient's condition. Normally, when skull base diseases are treated surgically, the patient has a 10-day period in the hospital. However, this period may be prolonged in treatments with different methods.