Transzygomatic Approach to Skull Base: History, Evolution, and Possibility of a Simple Modification

The surgical approaches to anterior, middle, and lateral skull base have evolved drastically, transcending from an era of oblivion to well-defined and systematically executed, state-of-the-art, refined surgery. The transzygomatic approach, which was developed to access the nasopharynx, has been applied to versatile locations of skull base pathology, with continuous evolution and modification of the osteotomies and skin flaps involved. A simple modification is proposed which could help reach a compromise between the wide exposure provided by the hemicoronal incision and the minimally invasive preauricular approach.