Endoscopic Endonasal Approaches to Craniovertebral Junction Pathologies: A Single-Center Experience

Özet

AIM: To review our experience of using the endoscopic endonasal approach for clivus and odontoid pathologies as well ascraniovertebral junction anomalies at our institution.MATERIAL and METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 41 patients (21 male, 20 female; age range, 2–65 years) who underwentendoscopic endonasal procedures for craniovertebral junction pathologies between 2008 and 2017.RESULTS: Of the 41 patients, 27 had clivus lesions, 7 had odontoid lesions, 6 had basilar invagination, and 1 had rhinorrhea repair.Six patients underwent an additional posterior decompression/fusion either before or after the endonasal procedure. None of thepatients required tracheostomy, and cerebrospinal fluid leakage was postoperatively detected in one patient. The patients’ meanmodified Rankin scale and visual analog scale scores were 3 and 4, respectively. The follow-up period ranged from 12 to 50 months.CONCLUSION: Although the microscopic transoral approach has been considered the gold standard for craniovertebral junctionsurgical management, endoscopic approaches are feasible, safe, and effective for addressing pathologies in this region, withdeveloping technique and surgical experience.