LATERAL SKULL-BASE SURGERY - A REVIEW OF RECENT ADVANCES IN SURGICAL APPROACHES

Objective: The expanding field of lateral skull-base surgery is review ed. The rapid evolution of this subspecialty of otolaryngology-head an d neck surgery has occurred subsequent to the primary postgraduate tra ining of many practitioners of our specialty. Furthermore, it can be d ifficult for many resident physicians to acquire concise, up-to-date r eferences pertaining to this area of subspecialization. This article i s designed to provide a succinct, up-to-date review of the field of la teral skull-base surgery. Materials and Methods: The current literatur e is reviewed. Results: Lateral skull-base surgery is a rapidly evolvi ng discipline involving neurologists and neurosurgeons in the resectio n of complex lesions of the skull base that had previously been diffic ult or impossible to adequately access. Otolaryngologists, via the sub specialty of neurotology, have been leaders in developing and applying the different lateral skull-base approaches. Conclusions: This articl e categorizes the various lateral skull-base approaches, outlines the principles of the surgical exposures, and discusses the indications fo r their use.