About this Service
Historically, problems in and around the base of the skull have been considered very difficult if not impossible to treat. With our multidisciplinary approach, new surgical techniques, and medical/non-surgical treatments, our patients with cranial base lesions are living longer lives and maintaining their quality of life.
We use the expertise of faculty and staff representing many departments within the 865-bed academic U-M medical center. The University of Michigan Health System is dedicated to the highest level of patient care, which enables the program to provide outstanding faculty, a state-of-the-art facility and the latest treatment technology.
Cranial base lesion specialists in Otolaryngology, Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology, Radiation Oncology, and Medical Oncology work together to ensure comprehensive, appropriate treatment and the highest quality outcomes possible.
Our program involves the treatment of vascular anomalies, management of facial trauma, and resection of both benign and malignant tumors involving the cranial base region.
Surgical Techniques and Approaches
The cranial base region includes the base of the skull, the facial bones, the fossas or vaults of the skull, and the soft tissues of these regions. Cranial base surgery involves a variety of surgical techniques and approaches.
The subcranial approach is the most commonly used approach; it involves the removal of skull base bones to provide reasonable access to deep, not easily reachable lesions. This relatively new approach prevents the retraction of the brain. The subcranial approach not only provides better access than traditional approaches, but it also minimizes damage to cranial nerves and vasculature, eliminating the need for extensive rehabilitation.
We also use radiation therapy, various chemotherapeutic protocols, immunotherapeutic approaches and, in some cases, a combination of these treatments with or without surgery, to effectively treat cranial base tumors.
History
The Cranial Base Program at the University of Michigan Health System was created in 1994. Our program developed after independent specialists, each trained in the care of difficult abnormalities/tumors of the cranial base, determined that a multidisciplinary approach would enhance patient care and treatment.
