Analysis of Olfaction after Bilateral Nasoseptal Rescue Flap Transsphenoidal Approach with Olfactory Mucosal Preservation.

Objective: To ascertain the impact of septal olfactory strip preservation and bilateral rescue flap elevation on the incidence of olfactory dysfunction.

Study Design: Case series with chart review of patients undergoing endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery (2012-2014).

Setting: Providence Saint John's Health Center and John Wayne Cancer Institute.

Correction to: Rathke's cleft cysts: a 6-year experience of surgery vs. observation with comparative volumetric analysis.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained errors in legend numbers of Figure 2 caption.

Rathke's cleft cysts: a 6-year experience of surgery vs. observation with comparative volumetric analysis.

Background: Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs) are common sellar lesions. Their management remains controversial, particularly when small or asymptomatic. Herein we review a consecutive series of RCC patients managed with surgery or observation.

Predominance of triple wild-type and IGF2R mutations in mucosal melanomas.

Background: Primary mucosal melanoma (MM) is a rare subtype of melanoma that arises from melanocytes in the mucosa. MM has not been well profiled for mutations and its etiology is not well understood, rendering current treatment strategies unsuccessful. Hence, we investigated mutational landscape for MM to understand its etiology and to clarify mutations that are potentially relevant for MM treatment.

Pregnancy-associated Cushing's disease? An exploratory retrospective study.

Purpose: In most clinical series of Cushing's disease (CD), over 80% of patients are women, many of whom are of reproductive age. The year following pregnancy may be a common time to develop CD. We sought to establish the incidence of CD onset associated with pregnancy.

Imaging-Ambiguous Lesions of Meckel's Cave-Utility of Endoscopic Endonasal Transpterygoid Biopsy.

Introduction: Meckel's cave is a dural-lined cavity in the middle fossa skull base in which lies the Gasserian ganglion, a potential site for tumors and inflammatory lesions. A variety of lesions can be predominantly isolated to Meckel's cave, including extension from head and neck cancers, other malignant tumors, as well as benign lesions. Clinical presentation and imaging findings are often insufficient to establish a diagnosis.

The Minimal Clinically Important Difference of the Anterior Skull Base Nasal Inventory-12.

Background: The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is defined as the smallest change in health-related quality of life (QOL) that patients consider meaningful. The MCID is essential for determining clinically significant changes, rather than simply statistically significant changes, in QOL scores. The Anterior Skull Base Nasal Inventory-12 (ASK Nasal-12), a site-specific sinonasal QOL instrument, has emerged as a standard instrument for assessing QOL in patients who have undergone endonasal transsphenoidal surgery.

Role of Endoscopic Skull Base and Keyhole Surgery for Pituitary and Parasellar Tumors Impacting Vision.

Significant advances over the last 2 decades in imaging technology, instrumentation, anatomical knowledge, and reconstructive techniques have resulted in the endonasal endoscopic approach becoming an integral part of modern skull base surgery. With growing use and greater experience, surgical outcomes continue to incrementally improve across many skull base pathologies, including those tumors that impact vision and ocular motility. The importance of the learning curve and use of a multi-disciplinary approach is critical to maximizing success, minimizing complications, and enhancing quality of life in these patients.

Endonasal Endoscopic Management of Parasellar and Cavernous Sinus Meningiomas.

The management of cavernous sinus and invasive parasellar meningiomas often requires a multimodality treatment approach. Early attempts at complete or near-complete removal of parasellar meningiomas involving the cavernous sinus, Meckel cave, clivus, and sella using anterolateral or lateral skull base approaches were typically unsuccessful and yielded high rates of new cranial neuropathy and other complications. This article presents a strategy of endonasal endoscopic parasellar skull base bony decompression and limited tumor removal followed by stereotactic radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, or observation.

The expanding role of the endonasal endoscopic approach in pituitary and skull base surgery: A 2014 perspective.

Background: The past two decades have been the setting for remarkable advancement in endonasal endoscopic neurosurgery. Refinements in camera definition, surgical instrumentation, navigation, and surgical technique, including the dual surgeon team, have facilitated purely endonasal endoscopic approaches to the majority of the midline skull base that were previously difficult to access through the transsphenoidal microscopic approach.

Methods: This review article looks at many of the articles from 2011 to 2014 citing endonasal endoscopic surgery with regard to approaches and reconstructive techniques, pathologies treated and outcomes, and new technologies under consideration.

Avoidance of postoperative epistaxis and anosmia in endonasal endoscopic skull base surgery: a technical note.

Background: Most endoscopic transsphenoidal approaches jeopardize the sphenopalatine artery and septal olfactory strip (SOS), increasing the risk of postoperative anosmia and epistaxis while precluding the ability to raise pedicled nasoseptal flaps (NSF). We describe a bilateral "rescue flap" technique that preserves the mucosa containing the nasal-septal vascular pedicles and the SOS. This approach can reduce the risk of postoperative complications, including epistaxis and anosmia.