Endoscopic endonasal management of encephaloceles in children: An eight-year experience

Objective: Skull base encephaloceles are difficult to diagnose and to treat. Traditionally, they are approached externally via craniotomic routes. Endoscopic management: of skull base defects is the standard treatment in adults. Our aim is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic endonasal repair of basal encephaloceles in the paediatric population. Methods: Retrospective evaluation of paediatric encephaloceles managed endoscopically at a tertiary referral centre. Results: Eleven subjects fitted the criteria of the study. Mean age at surgery was 6.7 +/- 4.6 SD years, while mean follow-up was 46.5 +/- 28 SD months. Most of the defects were located in the anterior cranial fossa. All patients were managed successfully with no complications. Conclusions: Endonasal endoscopic management of congenital encephaloceles is feasible in paediatric patients. Meticulous pre-op neuroimaging is of paramount importance when dealing with such cases. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.