[Esthesioneuroblastoma. Transcribiform-transfovea ethmoidalis endonasal expanded approach. Technical note]

We report a fully endoscopic transcribiform-transfovea ethmoidalis endonasal expanded approach (EEA) for the treatment of esthesioneuroblastoma and review the literature about this entity available in English, establishing a precise surgical technique and describing our intraoperative experience.

Our patient was a 65-year old female with anosmia and cognitive deterioration. Cranial MRI showed a large tumoral lesion with solid and cystic components involving the nasal cavity, with diagnostic suspicion of intracranial malignant sinonasal tumour. The patient underwent a fully endoscopic transcribiform-transfovea ethmoidalis EEA, achieving total resection and tumour-free margins. Surgery was followed by radiotherapy.

Craniofacial resection enables total removal of sinonasal malignancies, even when the intracranial cavity is involved, and allows for subarachnoid space isolation from the nasal cavity. New advances in endoscopic skull base surgery have achieved comparable oncological results and sufficient reconstructive capacity, leading to less morbidity and better tolerance.

EEA may become the first treatment option for skull base malignancies in an immediate future, provided that the anatomical limits of the extended approach are not exceeded by the lesion.