Endoscopic Neurosurgery for Children: Craniotomy Alternatives

Using endoscopes to remove brain tumors through the nose is an alternative to craniotomy for children with craniopharyngiomas and other tumors.

Skull base tumors and other lesions that can be removed through the nose include chondrosarcoma, clival chordoma, clival encephalocele, craniopharyngioma, germinoma, juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA), meningioma, optic glioma, pontine cavernoma, prolactinoma and other pituitary tumors, Rathke’s cleft cyst, skull base atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) and skull base sarcoma.

At CHOP, at least two and sometimes as many as four surgeons are present for nasal endoscopic neurosurgery procedures. These surgeons are neurosurgeons (brain surgeons) and otorhinolaryngologists (sometimes called ear-nose-and-throat, ENT, rhinologists, or head-and-neck surgeons).