Skull Base Surgery

Skull Base Surgery in Koramangala, Bangalore

A skull base surgery is an approach to treating a tumor that’s underneath the skull bone. The surgery involves removing particular parts of the skull base bone to remove the growth, so that the tumor does not affect the brain.

What is skull base surgery?

Our skull is made up of bones and cartilage that creates our face and the cranium that is protecting our brain. One can feel the bones of their cranium on top of the skull. Our skull has several blood vessels, nerves and different openings of the spinal cord that connect with each other.

Skull base surgery in Bangalore is done to get rid of cancerous and noncancerous growths as well as the abnormalities that lie below the brain surface, the skull base and on some parts of the vertebrae. It is very difficult to reach such areas of the body. Surgeons may have to do a minimally invasive endoscopic surgery procedure, during which they will insert an instrument through the natural opening of our skull, such as the mouth or nose area or maybe they’ll make an incision above your eyebrow. This surgery should be performed by a team of special doctors as it may require a specific expertise. The team will consist of an ENT surgeon, a neurosurgeon, a maxillofacial surgeon and even radiologists.

Who qualifies for a skull base surgery?

If a person who’s suffering from any of the conditions below:

• An infection that has been growing since a long time
• A cyst that is developed since the time of birth
• Pituitary tumors
• Cancerous or noncancerous meningiomas or tumors that grow in the meninges (membranes that cover your brain and spinal cord) or an infected tissue that is covering the brain and lying in between the skull and the brain
• A bone that’s been slowly growing (Chordomas ) and becoming a tumor that is mostly found below the skull
• A disease called trigeminal neuralgia that causes heavy pain on one side of a person’s face
• Cerebrospinal fluid fistulas
• Cerebral aneurysm, a weak or more likely a bulging part inside your blood vessel and the brain
• Craniopharyngiomas, considered to be a growth that appears near your pituitary gland
• Arteriovenous malformations, i.e. arteries and veins which are abnormally connected to each other.
• A condition in an infant wherein the bones of the skull close too early, leading to problems of brain growth and shaping of the skull.

Request an appointment at Apollo Spectra Hospitals, Koramangala, Bangalore.

Call 1860-500-2244 to book an appointment.

Why is a skull base surgery conducted?

A skull base surgery is done to remove a tumor or to rectify the abnormalities listed above. A skull base surgery can also be done to treat the herniation in the brain, and also certain birth defects, or even to treat an injury that caused damage to our skull and the risk to the brain increased.

What are the types?

The type of surgery to be performed completely depends on the growth of a disease, illness or tumor and its location as well.

• Endoscopic surgery does not require a large incision, it is minimally invasive and a surgeon may make a small opening inside your nose to allow a neurosurgeon to remove the growth with a very thin and tiny lighted-up tube that is called an endoscope.
• An open skull surgery may require a big incision to be made in the face and also inside the skull. There is a possibility that parts of bones can also be removed for surgeons to reach inside and remove the tumor.

What are the benefits?

Since skull base tumors, illnesses and diseases are located in a very critical portion of our body, it is important to get rid of these or else these can affect various nerve. This means skull base issues can be life-threatening if not treated on time. The goal of a skull base surgery is to reduce the risk of death.

With the help of scientific development and minimally invasive skull base surgeries, faster recoveries, lesser scars, decreased pain, fewer complications and a better, healthier life can be expected after a successful surgery.

What are the risks?

• Loss of smell
• Bleeding
• Zero or decreased sense of taste
• Numbness on the facial area and teeth
• Meningitis or may be any other infection of the brain