Tumors of the skull base in children

Abstract

Tumors of the skull base have presented a difficult therapeutic challenge to the neurosurgeon due to the complexity involved in approaching these lesions. However, with recent technical advances and the development of specialized centers with teams of physicians interested in managing these patients, removal and cure of skull base tumors are now possible. While many of the surgical approaches developed to approach skull base tumors have been reported for adults, there have been few such reports in children. In general, children pose unique anatomical challenges for the skull base surgeon because of the constraints of the developing skull, and the small size of the patients. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.