Surgical Approaches to the Lateral Skull Base

Abstract

Less than 1 % of all head and neck neoplasms originate in the lateral skull base. Tumors in this anatomical compartment can be either primary tumors, originating in the skull base itself, or secondary tumors, which infiltrate the skull base from adjacent organs. Primary tumors can originate from nerve, vessels, muscle, bone, cartilage, or connecting tissue. Secondary tumors are usually carcinomas and sarcomas. Common benign tumors include osteoma, fibrous dysplasia, meningioma, large juvenile angiofibroma, and schwannoma. Among the malignant tumors, squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, and sarcoma are the most common. These tumors may go undetected for a long time. They can present as an asymptomatic mass in the temporal area or can be associated with skin ulceration, severe pain, and neurological deficits. This chapter discusses the diagnosis and treatment of lateral skull base tumors.