What is Skull Base Surgery

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Skull Base Surgery  

Skull base surgery is a minimally invasive surgical procedure done to remove both non-cancerous and cancerous tumors present in the base of the skull and the top few vertebrae of the spinal column. This treatment procedure is considered better than open surgery. In this surgery, the surgeon inserts the instruments through natural openings in the skull instead of making large incisions. There are three ways to reach the skull base, such as trans-nasal, trans-oral and supraorbital, etc. 

Skull base surgery is required when the person has any skull related disorder or a tumor. Doctors also advise skull base surgery in cerebral aneurysms, meningiomas, craniopharyngiomas, chordomas, pituitary tumors, etc. Probably many people might not know about skull base surgery. So, in today’s article, we will try to explain in detail about skull base surgery. 

• Why is Skull base surgery done?
• How is Skull base surgery performed? 
• How to take care after Skull base surgery? 
• What are the Complications of Skull base surgery? 
• What is the Cost of Skull base surgery in India? 

Why is Skull base surgery done?

The doctor recommends undergoing a skull base surgery if you experience any of the following symptoms. Let us explain further.

• Such as – Facial pain
• Headaches. (Know more:  Migraine)
• Dizziness (Know more: What causes Dizziness)
• Facial muscles weakness
• Numbness and loss of sensation
• Change in personality
• Vertigo and loss of balance (Know more: Treatment of Vertigo)
• Twitching of the face 
• Hearing loss
• Loss of vision or double vision
• Bulging of eyeballs 
• Nasal congestion
• Frequent nosebleeds
• Sinus infection (Know more: Causes of sneezing)

How is Skull base surgery performed? 

Before performing a skull base surgery, the doctor may conduct some imaging tests to diagnose the patient, such as MRI, MRA, PET and CT scans, etc. that provide detailed images of skull and tumor for careful examination. 

A biopsy is necessary to observe abnormalities in brain tissue. In this, a small part of the growth is removed from the skull and observed under a microscope. Apart from this, other tests are also done for sight, smell, hearing, and other senses. 

Skull base surgery is performed for the treatment of many skull disorders. This surgery is performed by two procedures – 

• Minimally Invasive Skull Base Surgery involves the entry of the instruments through the nose, mouth, or by making a hole just above the eyebrow, and it does not require a craniotomy. The surgeon inserts the endoscope through the opening that helps in obtaining images of the tumor inside the skull so that it can be removed properly. 
• Open Skull Base Surgery requires large incisions in the skull or facial area. Parts of bone and surrounding tissue may need to be removed to get access to the tumor. 

How to take care after Skull base surgery?

After the skull base surgery, the patient needs to take adequate rest. For this, the patient stays in the hospital for three days after surgery. Some patients require a regular examination to make sure that the tumor is not coming back. If the patient experiences any of the following symptoms, then talk to a doctor immediately. 

• High fever
• Nausea and vomiting
• Infection at the site of incision
• Extreme pain in hands. (Know more: Causes of Elbow Pain)
• Any inconvenience etc. 

What are the Complications of Skull base surgery? 

There may be several complications after skull base surgery. 

• Such as infection at the site of incision
• Bleeding 
• Possibility of nerve injury and brain damage
• Leakage of cerebrospinal fluid that can lead to further disorders in the brain 

Eye complications include 

• Blindness
• Vertical dystopia
• Double vision
• Canthal drift etc.

What is the Cost of Skull base surgery in India? 

The total cost of skull base surgery in India can cost around INR 2,10,000 to INR 3,75,000. However, many large hospital doctors in India treat skull base surgery. But the cost varies across different hospitals. If you want to get information about the expenses of skull base surgery and doctors in good hospitals, then click here. 

If you are coming from abroad, in addition to the expenses of skull base surgery, there will be an additional cost of staying in a hotel and the cost of local travel. After surgery, the patient stays in the hospital for four days and in the hotel for ten days for recovery. So, all the expenses come to a total of INR 4,55,129 that are deposited together in the hospital. If you want to get more information about it, click here. 

If you want to get more information and treatment related to Skull Base Surgery, then contact a Neurosurgeon. 

We only aim to give you information through the article. We do not recommend medication or treatment in any way. Only a doctor can give you good advice because no one else is better than them.