UPDATE ON SKULL BASE SURGERY

The field of skull base surgery has changed significantly during the p ast decade. Various surgical approaches hare been developed, which whe n used alone or in combination provide optimal exposure for the resect ion of a given lesion with minimal morbidity. This recent evolution in the field of skull base surgery has allowed the surgical management o f larger lesions in previously inaccessible locations. Furthermore, te chniques in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative manage ment of the intrapetrous internal carotid artery have circumvented man y prior limitations of cranial base resections. The goals of this arti cle are to provide an overview of the postlateral skull base approache s in use today, discuss the regions of the skull base that are accessi ble, and describe the state of the art in management of the intrapetro us internal carotid artery.