Endoscopic anterior skull base surgery: intraoperative considerations of the crista galli

We sought to measure the anatomic dimensions of the crista galli in a consecutive series of patients undergoing the endoscopic transcribriform approach for anterior skull base tumors at a tertiary academic university hospital. We performed a retrospective chart review of patients undergoing purely endoscopic transcribriform surgery for sinonasal and skull base lesions. Main outcome measures included radiological dimensions of the crista galli. A total of 12 patients were identified and treated by the senior authors at the University of Pennsylvania. The average crista galli dimensions were 12.7 ± 2.4 mm (anterior-posterior) and 12.9 ± 2.5 mm (cranial-caudal dimension). Knowledge of the dimensions of the crista galli is important in preoperative planning for both instrumentation and access.