Negotiating the Learning Curve in Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery: A Local ENT Perspective
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction
Skull base surgery, although recognised as an interdisciplinary specialty involving both Neurosurgery and Otolaryngology in the West, has been the domain of the Neurosurgeon in West Bengal. Several superspecialty healthcare facilities in the state are now actively promoting endoscopic skull base surgery.
Structured training
The Pittsburgh group has published a systematic training programme for skull base surgery.
Paradigm shift
Following the work of several groups, most notably the Pittsburgh group in the USA, a paradigm shift from open to endoscopic anterior skull base surgery has occurred.
Learning curve
This paper discusses how the ENT surgeon may negotiate the learning curve in endoscopic skull base surgery in the context of the local resources available.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
Smith RR, Kloop CT, Williams JM. Surgical treatment of cancer of the frontal sinus and adjacent areas. Cancer 1954;7: 991–4.
Cheesman AD, Lund VJ, Howard DJ. Craniofacial resection for tumours of the nose and paranasal sinuses. Head Neck Surg 1986; 8: 429–35.
Fisch U. Infratemporal fossa approach to tumours of the temporal bone and base of the skull. J Laryngol Otol. 1978; 92:949-67
Guiot G, Comoy C. Ventriculoscopy. Rev Prat. 1963;13:3655-6
Jho HD, Carrau RL, Ko Y, Daly MA. Endoscopic pituitary surgery: an early experience. Surg Neurol. 1997; 47: 213-22
Jho HD, Alfieri A. Endoscopic endonasal pituitary surgery: evolution of surgical technique and equipment in 150 operations. Minim Invasive Neurosurg 2001; 44:1-12
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Improving Outcomes for people with brain and other CNS tumours. Section 6. June 2006
Available at: http://www.sbssi.org/directory.htm
Snyderman CH, Pant H, Kassam AB, Carrau RL, Prevedello DM Gardner PA, The Learning Curve for Endonasal Surgery of the Cranial Base: A Systematic Approach to Training. In: Endoscopic Approaches to the Skull Base. Prog Neurol Surg. Basel, Karger, 2012, vol 26, pp 222–231