Diagnosing and treating skull base diseases and disorders is a challenging and complex process that requires advanced medical equipment and specialized expertise in this particular field. The skull base area is densely populated by crucial nerves and blood vessels that are responsible for many of the physical senses, including sight and hearing. The spinal cord is also partially located within the skull base. This dense cluster of nerves and blood vessels can present significant challenges to surgeons who must navigate this area carefully to ensure the best possible outcome for each patient’s specific needs. Skull base disorders are very rare, but two of the most common skull base disorders are meningioma and acoustic neuroma.
Meningioma
The result of small and typically benign tumors in the lining of the brain, meningioma accounts for about one-fourth of all primary brain tumors. The symptoms of meningioma include headaches, personality changes, mental confusion and unexplained physical weakness. Symptoms usually do not manifest until the tumor or tumors have grown large enough to impinge on the brain and cause compression. Most advanced cases of meningioma require delicate brain cancer surgery to remove the tumors. In the past, this was usually accomplished by an invasive procedure that required an extensive recovery period. Recent developments in skull base surgery, including stereotactic radiosurgery, have created new techniques that are minimally invasive and can provide better results than ever before.
Acoustic neuroma
The eighth cranial nerve is responsible for the sense of hearing in humans. Acoustic neuroma occurs when a small slow-growing tumor affects this nerve, damaging both hearing and balance and causing symptoms that include buzzing in the affected ear, hearing loss, difficulty in swallowing and even changes in the patient’s perceptions of tastes. Surgery for acoustic neuroma was once a convoluted and dangerous process, but today new techniques in endoscopic surgery allow much more delicate control over the exact tissue to be excised. This allows skull base surgeons to manage acoustic neuroma surgery much more efficiently and with less consequent damage to surrounding tissue. Therefore, these surgeries typically result in improved prognoses for patients and reduced recovery times.
Skull base surgery requires significant skill and experience, especially for advanced endoscopic procedures. Only a few specialized clinics and hospitals offer these services in the United States because of the rarity of the ailments; however, for patients suffering from skull base disorders, these clinics offer new hope and help for a complete recovery.
Jessica writes about a wide variety of topics. She especially enjoys writing about surgery. You can learn more about Symptoms of Meningioma at http://www.skullbaseinstitute.com
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