Endoscopic Endonasal Approach in Craniopharyngiomas: Representative Cases and Technical Nuances for the Young Neurosurgeon

• Published in: Brain sciences Vol. 13; no. 5; p. 735
• Main Authors: Aragón-Arreola, Jorge F, Marian-Magaña, Ricardo, Villalobos-Diaz, Rodolfo, López-Valencia, Germán, Jimenez-Molina, Tania M, Moncada-Habib, J Tomás, Sangrador-Deitos, Marcos V, Gómez-Amador, Juan L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28-04-2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Cerebrospinal fluid; craniopharyngioma; Cysts; Emergency medical care; endoscopic; Endoscopy; Hormones; infundibulum; Morbidity; Sinuses; Tumors; Veins & arteries; Visual acuity; endoscopic; infundibulum; craniopharyngioma
• ISSN: 2076-3425; 2076-3425
• DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13050735

Craniopharyngiomas (CPs) are Rathke's cleft-derived benign tumors originating most commonly in the dorsum sellae and representing 2% of intracranial neoplasms. CPs represent one of the more complex intracranial tumors due to their invasive nature, encasing neurovascular structures of the sellar and parasellar regions, making its resection a major challenge for the neurosurgeon with important postoperative morbidity. Nowadays, an endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) provides an "easier" way for CPs resection allowing a direct route to the tumor with direct visualization of the surrounding structures, diminishing inadvertent injuries, and providing a better outcome for the patient. In this article, we include a comprehensive description of the EEA technique and nuances in CPs resection, including three illustrated clinical cases.