Complications After Open Skull Base Surgery for Brain Tumors: A 26-Year Experience

Open skull base surgery carries the risk of significant complications. It is important to inform patients and family members clearly of the details of these complications. This study aimed to present the numerous complications encountered with open skull base surgery for brain tumors. This report analyzed the complications experienced by patients treated with open skull base surgery by a single skull base surgeon at a single tertiary center over 26 years.

A retrospective study was performed using the University of Puerto Rico Neurosurgery database to identify patients who were managed using open skull base procedures from 1995 to 2020. The neurosurgical database for each patient had been prospectively recorded. Patients with skull base tumors under the author's care during the study period were included in the investigation. Exclusions include patients with non-tumoral conditions and non-skull base tumors and those operated using a microscopic transsphenoidal route. Patients who experienced an intraoperative or postoperative complication within 30 days of the surgery were further analyzed.

In the cohort, 141 patients with brain tumors underwent open skull base surgery. The cohort had a median age of 48 (range 3-79). It consisted of 101 (71.6%) females and 40 (28.4%) males, with a female-to-male ratio of 2.5:1. The approach most frequently used was an orbitofrontal craniotomy (with or without zygomatic osteotomy) in 79 patients (56%). A petrosal approach was utilized in 26 patients (18%). Forty-six patients (33%) developed an intraoperative or postoperative complication. Twenty-four percent of the complications occurred in the 30-day postoperative period. Five patients had more than one complication. The median age of the patients who experienced a complication was 44.5 (range 22-79), with a female-to-male ratio similar to the entire cohort. Cranial nerve injury was the most frequent complication. Worsening or loss of vision in the affected eye occurred in 5.7% of the patients. A cerebrospinal fluid leak occurred in 2% of the patients. Six patients died, two of them after a massive myocardial infarction.

The results of this study showed that approximately one-third of the patients undergoing open skull base surgery can develop a complication. The most frequent complication was injury to a cranial nerve. A large number of complications occurred intraoperatively. The majority of the complications in patients with tumors in the posterior fossa were associated with injury to a cranial nerve. At the middle fossa, damage to the optic nerves is a noteworthy complication. Complications at the anterior fossa involved worsening of vision or myocardial infarction. Less aggressive surgery near the cavernous sinus and the petroclival region may reduce complications. Understanding the complications can help counsel patients and family members.