State-of-the-Art Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery: A Hands-On Course 2019

Target Audience: 
Neurosurgeons, otolaryngologists-head and neck surgeons and other skull base surgeons who are interested in learning endoscopic endonasal surgery of the skull base, pituitary fossa, orbit and craniocervical junction.

Course Description:
Responding to the increased familiarity with endonasal endoscopic skull base surgery, we have modified the program to start at a higher level of expertise, and to promote discussions related to treatment algorithms of specific diseases. However, we recognize the value of refreshing basic concepts; and that our course caters to participants with a variety of levels of training and experience. Therefore, we will provide the participants with a series of video-lectures and video-prosections to fulfill these needs. This video-lecture series will allow the participants to enjoy the benefits of both a traditional lecture-style course based on anatomic and technical concepts, and a course with a new interactive format emphasizing decision-making and disease-oriented discussions. Participants will in fact enroll in two courses, a home study course and the hands-on course without additional costs.

The course comprises:
• Pre-course video-lectures addressing the basic principles of endoscopic skull base surgery, anatomy of the sinonasal tract and skull base, and basic surgical technique and instrumentation. These will be provided to registered participants one month prior to the course, as the program will start at a level
that presumes familiarity with these principles.
• Anatomical prosections (videos will be provided one month prior to the course).
• Laminated dissection manual (a digital version will be provided one month prior to the course)
• Sequence of complementary didactic lectures, round tables and panel discussions (open format with audience participation), 3-D anatomical reviews and hands-on cadaveric dissection.
• Live surgery will be transmitted directly to the auditorium where the participants may interact with the surgeons and other members of the faculty.

Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this activity, learners should be able to:
• Describe the anatomic relationships of the sinonasal tract, orbit and ventral skull base from the endoscopic perspective
• Discuss the indications and limitations of endoscopic endonasal surgery of the skull base, pituitary fossa, orbit and craniocervical junction
• Identify how to avoid and treat complications of endoscopic endonasal surgery of the skull base, pituitary fossa, orbit and craniocervical junction
• Describe the anatomic relationships and surgical exposure afforded by the transpterygoid approach
• Describe the relative anatomical exposures of the endonasal versus the open traditional approaches
• Identify how to avoid and treat complications of endoscopic skull base surgery