Surgical Anatomy and Approaches of the Anterior Cranial Fossa from a Transcranial and Endonasal Perspective

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The technical development in skull base surgery, especially to the anterior cranial fossa, has allowed for improvement in the quality of life and the long-term prognosis of patients suffering from different types of tumors that can affect this anatomical area. Applying these advanced techniques requires a thorough understanding of the skull base anatomy and surrounding structures to perform surgery without potential intraoperative complications related to the pathology itself as well as potential complications related to the surgical approach that has been chosen to treat this pathology. The purpose of this paper is to offer a comprehensive review of the surgical anatomy of the anterior skull base and the technical nuances of the surgical approaches that are more frequently used in this region. Detailed knowledge of these aspects is essential both for the choice of the surgical approach and for its correct execution when an anterior cranial fossa lesion need to be resected. ABSTRACT: The anterior cranial fossa (ACF) is a complex anatomical region that can be affected by a broad spectrum of pathology. For the surgical treatment of these lesions, many approaches have been described, each of them with different scope and potential surgical complications, often associated with significant morbidity. Traditionally, tumors involving the ACF have been operated by transcranial approaches; however, in the last two decades, endoscopic endonasal approaches (EEAs) have been gaining popularity. In this work, the authors review and describe the anatomical aspects of the ACF and the technical nuances of transcranial and endoscopic approaches for tumors located in this region. Four approaches were performed in embalmed cadaveric specimens and the key steps were documented. Four illustrative cases of ACF tumors were selected to demonstrate the clinical application of anatomical and technical knowledge, which are essential in the preoperative decision-making process.