Anatomical considerations for endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery in pediatric patients.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Pediatric skull base surgery is limited by several boney sinonasal landmarks that must be overcome prior to tumor dissection. When approaching a sellar or parasellar tumor, the piriform aperture, sphenoid sinus pneumatization, and intercarotid distances are areas of potential limitation. Quantitative pediatric anatomical measurements relevant to skull base approaches are lacking. Our goal was to use radio-anatomic analysis of computed tomography scans to determine anatomical limitations for trans-sphenoidal approaches in pediatric skull base surgery. STUDY DESIGN: A radio-anatomic cross-sectional survey. METHODS: Measurements included the diameter of the piriform aperture, posterior extent of sphenoid sinus pneumatization, and intercarotid distances on fine-cut, age-stratified maxillofacial scans. Fifty pediatric (<18 years of age) and 10 adult patients were equally subdivided into seven age groups and compared to determine age-related differences in sphenoid sinus pneumatization, skull base thicknesses, and intercarotid distances. RESULTS: Piriform aperture width was significantly greater in adults than in patients under age 7 years (P

Duke Scholars

Author Jason Ryan Tatreau Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Adult Psychiatry & Psychol ...

Author Manesh Raman Patel Medicine, Cardiology