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Updated: May 8, 2026
Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
Management of frontoethmoidal osteoma causing pneumocephalus and cerebrospinal fluid leakage with minimally invasive
Nicholas G Candy1, Kyle C Wu2, Guilherme Finger2
11Department of Surgery-Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Background:
Osteoid osteoma is a common benign bone tumor frequently seen in the frontoethmoid region. However, involvement of the skull base is rare, with few cases previously reported.
Observations:
The authors report two cases of spontaneous, symptomatic frontoethmoidal osteoma: one presented with neurological deficit secondary to tension pneumocephalus and the other with cerebrospinal fluid leakage. The first case was managed with a transfrontal sinus craniotomy and pneumocephalus decompression with osteoma resection and skull base reconstruction. The second case was managed with a uninaral endoscopic endonasal approach to the anterior skull base with osteoma resection and reconstruction.
Lessons:
Given the paucity of cases with associated tension pneumocephalus described in the literature, it was relevant to describe the authors' experience with surgical decision-making and the expected outcomes among patients with this pathology when using minimally invasive techniques.
