Endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery for vascular lesions: a systematic review of the literature.

Introduction: Endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery for vascular lesions is a controversial topic in neurosurgical practice. Concerns regarding the ability to effectively work through the relatively narrow and deep endonasal corridor and manage serious hemorrhagic complications such as inadvertent internal carotid artery (ICA) injury during endoscopic surgery (EES) are relevant sources of disagreement between neurosurgeons. Nevertheless, following careful preoperative evaluation, EES may be indicated for rare, well-selected cases, including medially-projecting paraclinoid aneurysms and cavernous malformations (CMs) located next to the ventral surface of the brainstem.