Endoscopic Neurosurgery for Brain Tumors in Children

Using endoscopes to remove brain tumors through the nose is an alternative to craniotomy for children with craniopharyngiomas and other tumors. http://www.chop.edu/neurosurgery

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.

To access skull base tumors through craniotomy, the surgeon removes bone at the top of the skull and retracts (pulls back) the lobes of the brain. Nasoendoscopy is a better option because it spares the patient retraction of the brain.

Phillip Storm, MD, chief of Neurosurgery at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, works with otorhinolaryngologists (head and neck surgeons) and neurosurgeons from Penn Medicine to perform these delicate operations. As many as four surgeons work together on each endoscopic neurosurgery case. Families travel from around the country and the world to be treated by Dr. Storm and team.