Transcanal Endoscopic Lateral Skull Base Surgery

Presutti and Marchioni's transcanal exclusive endoscopic transpromontorial approach represents a new surgical technique to remove diseases that involve cochlea and fundus of internal auditory canal in selected cases, thus avoiding extensive bone drilling, brain, meningeal, and neurovascular manipulation. The advantage of this endoscopic technique is that direct access to internal auditory canal allows the creation of a minimally invasive route through the cochlea with a consequent improved safety during intraoperative and postoperative management. Surgeons who start with this surgical procedure must possess some fundamental prerequisites, like confidence with other inner ear techniques and previous experience with endoscopic middle ear surgery and endoscopic cadaveric dissections. Owing to the reduced invasiveness of the transpromontorial transcanal approach, there is no need for an intensive care unit stay after the operation and patient hospitalization is shorter.